But A Thorn
by Gh057
Summary: One tragic night leaves Lucy Heartfilia with a broken soul, damaged by a horrific assault that left much more than her body injured. As she attempts to recover from her attack, her dearest friend, Natsu Dragneel, learns of her battery and becomes her guardian and her stability. Together they work to heal old wounds and evolve into something more. TRIGGER WARNING.
1. Beginning

**A/N: **This story is rated M for a reason. Please heed my trigger warning.

_**Trigger Warning**_

The following story contains graphic depictions of sexual assault and trauma. Harsh language and mature themes imminent. Please do not read if faint of heart.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

.+*+.

After waiting alone for two hours, I was fed up. My elbow was sore from propping my head up on the table. The entire contents of the bread basket now rested inside my stomach and my wine glass had been emptied twice. I was stood up, again. Typical. With a sigh I downed the remainder of my cup and flagged the waiter over. The look he gave me made my insides cringe, pure pity filled his icy blue eyes.

"Ms. Heartfilia?" he crooned, a weak smile touching his lips.

"I'm ready for the check, Francis," I muttered, dejected.

"I'm so sorry, love," he murmured, gently touching my shoulder as he placed the bill for my alcohol in front of me.

I wished I could say that I was used to this treatment; that I wasn't bothered. But I was. Ever since I had been featured in Sorcerer Magazine my invitations to go out had skyrocketed. However, it all seemed to be a cruel joke as the past three I'd accepted had decided to ditch me. Just what kind of torment would I receive from Aquarius when I told her? I dreaded the thought.

Instinctively, I reached for my hip, expecting to brush my fingertips over my celestial keys. Of course I'd left them at home, knowing I wouldn't need my keys or my whip just going out on a date. Instead I'd opted to wear a gorgeous, crimson dress. It clung to my body in all the right places and a large slit up the thigh revealed just enough skin to be considered sexy. I'd done my makeup to match: bold, but natural. I scoffed as I smoothed the dress down as I rose and began to leave the restaurant. What a waste. I should have taken Levy's offer and had a girls' night.

It was chillier outside than I'd expected it to be. My arms clutched my frame, trembling slightly as my heels clicked across the asphalt. My breath came out in wispy, white puffs. What a mistake.

As I walked, I cursed myself. This was the _last _time I'd be going out. I wouldn't take another date attempt. Men sucked. Well, most of them. My thoughts turned to my best friend. His spikey pink hair and goofy grin always put me in a good mood. Perhaps he and Happy would come over and spend the rest of the night playing card games with me. Tonight wouldn't have been such a waste after all.

I smiled, determined to make it home and give them a call (if they weren't already at my place, which knowing those two, they'd snuck in and raided my fridge anyway).

Lost by my own thoughts, I hadn't noticed the sound of footfalls matching mine until I came to cross the street. When I'd stopped, it had taken a few moments for the sounds of steps to die out behind me. My heart rate accelerated. The hair of the back of my neck rose, and not from the biting cold in the air.

I turned, facing my pursuer. The man was slightly older than I was. He looked nice enough. His hair was an emerald green that made me think of Freid. Looking at his eyes I noticed they were a deep, chocolate brown. He had a gentle chin and a small demeanor. He must be on his way home as well.

I offered him a smile and nodded my head, blonde locks whipping against my cheeks as the wind picked up. "Evening," I said kindly.

He studied me for a moment. Too long of a moment. Chills filled my core and I clutched myself tighter, shielding my body. "Good evening, Lucy," he finally said.

"Hm? Have we met?" I questioned, wondering why the feeling of dread was beginning to course through me.

"No. We haven't. I saw your spread in Sorcerer Magazine. You're a Fairy Tail wizard and easy enough to recognize. Hey, where are your keys? I'd love to meet a zodiac spirit. Leo has always fascinated me."

I shouldn't answer. I knew I should break into a run. But my body was frozen and my mouth decided to speak before my brain. "I left them at home. I was supposed to have a date tonight."

"Ah, what a shame." The man stepped closer to me. I stepped backwards. My heel gave out from under me, causing my ankle to twist at a sickening level. I cried out as I began to fall. The stranger reached out and caught me roughly by my right arm. He jerked me up, causing me to let out a sharp exhale of pain.

As his fingers dug into my flesh, I saw that his nails were disgustingly dirty. Mud caked the underside of them and they were much too uneven.

"What a pretty little tattoo," he hissed, twisting my hand to examine my Fairy Tail mark. "It's not going to do anything to help you, Lucy."

I choked out a sob, my left hand balled into a fist and I swung with all my strength at his head. He caught my attack with his other hand. "Oh no, dear Lucy. There's no stopping this. I've watched you for some time." His face was inches from mine, his breath smelled rotten. I felt the color leave my face.

"P-please," I stammered, "let me go."

"Not until we're done," he snarled.

I lurched my knee upward, thankful for such a large slit in my dress and successfully collided with his groin. It was enough for him to release me and he cursed in agony. Turning, I bolted, aiming for any sort of sanctuary I could find. I made it a few yards before he caught me, ripping me off my feet by my long, blonde hair. Sparks of pain shot from my cranium down to my toes as he dragged me off the street, into an alley. I screamed. I begged. I offered him anything he wanted. Salty tears licked down my face, the black mascara turning into a raccoon's mask as I pleaded for him to just let me go. I was a member of the strongest team in the strongest guild in all of Fiore. And none of it mattered.

With a violence I thought only could be possessed by dark wizards he threw me, hard, onto the ground. I cried out as my elbows scuffed the hard concrete, leaving flakes of my skin behind. My anguish only seemed to excite this monster.

With one knee he pinned me by my abdomen, pushing all his weight against my internal organs. I closed my eyes, tears streaking down my face even faster, snot oozing out of my nose as his dirty hand ripped my gown. He dipped those disgusting fingers into the most precious and sacred part of my flesh. I bit my lip as hard as I could to try and mask the pain. "What a naughty little mage you are," he breathed into my ear. I tried to bash my skull against him but he pulled away. "There's no fighting this, Lucy," he snarled. And I knew he was right. He was stronger than me, outweighing me by three stone, at least. Without my spirits, my whip, or my friends, I was nothing. I was just some heiress who felt entitled to something different.

_Mavis, please let me die. Right here, please. I don't want this. _I implored the idea of death. Anything was better than what was happening to me. Nothing came to help me. No one heard my screams and cries.

Except for this monster. All my pleading did was make his blood race. I looked onto his face for only a moment and saw the sickest, cruelest joy in his horrifyingly dark eyes before he took me in the most intimate way one can take a person. He slammed into my core, and I screamed. I felt my inner walls tear at the punishment, pain caused my vision to white out.

And as soon as it had begun, it was over. The monster was gone. I was alone, bruised and bleeding in the alley. My dress was destroyed, but not nearly as much as I was. I laid on the ground, sobbing and begging to go back before all this until I lost track of time.

Maybe minutes, maybe hours passed before I struggled to my feet. I had to get home. I had to get clean. I stumbled along the familiar path to my apartment. I stopped three times and retched over into the canal, losing all the bread and wine I had consumed earlier in the night.

Once inside, I ran to the toilet and vomited again. I looked in the mirror above my bathroom sink and saw my face. My big, brown eyes were caked in smeared makeup; I was all red and puffy. My hair was disheveled. I felt (and looked) like a ghost. Trembling, I slid out of my ruined dress and in a fit of rage threw both it and my shoes out the window, into the canal below.

I sank against the wall, naked and sticky, and held my legs against my chest. I stayed like that, in hysterics for several moments before drawing water for a bath. I had to get clean. I had to wash this sin off of me. I turned the stream as hot as it would get. And it was like liquid fire, but it wasn't hot enough. Even as I felt my skin burn, I still felt my attacker's touch.

The water between my legs turned pink and I cried out in horror, washing the blood off my thighs. I rubbed myself with soap until I was raw, emptied the bath, and proceeded to repeat this process. What was I going to do? I couldn't tell anyone about this. The guild would realize how weak I was. All my friends would abandon me for someone stronger, someone who could defend themselves. This was a demon I had to fight on my own. I never, ever could let anyone know. Except… An idea struck me and I reached for my celestial keys.

I held contracts with my spirits. _Technically_, I thought, _they can help me and never tell a soul. Not if I tell them not to. _Before I had really thought this plan through, Aquarius' key was between my fingers. "Open, gate of the water bearer," I choked out, having problems finding my voice. And then, there she was. Annoyed and angry at me, whipping her blue hair out of her face.

"You interrupted my date with Scorpio! You're going to pay for this, how _dare y—" _her cold eyes turned to me, weeping in the tub water with her, clutching my naked body. "L-Lucy?!" the zodiac gasped, her anger completely vanished. All that was left was concern from my older, dearest spirit. "Lucy, what happened?!" she shouted at me, panic filling her face.

I caved, I told her everything. She held me against her as I bawled my eyes out, clinging to her form, terrified she would leave me alone in this bathroom. "I'm so weak. You always tell me how pathetic I am, and you're right."

"Lucy, goodness, Lucy… No! Never." The water bearer hugged me tightly against her, shielding me. "Oh Lucy, we can fix this. Go call Natsu an—"

"No!" I screamed at the top of my lung, shoving her away. Panic and adrenalin surged through me as I viciously shook my head at her suggestion. "No, they are never to know. No one is ever to know!"

"Lu—" Aquarius began to argue with me. I wouldn't have it. Exasperated, she relented. "Alright well at least summon Leo… We need to get you into bed and calmed down."

"No! I won't summon Loke. I won't summon Scorpio, or Taurus, or Cancer!" the thought of being around a male made my stomach flip and knot.

"Okay, well I need help, Lucy! I don't know how to handle this sort of thing!" The water spirit actually sounded nervous, almost panicked at me. It was enough to make me draw a breath.

"H-how about Aries and Virgo?" I whispered.

"Okay."

The three Zodiac spirits comforted me, and Aries even brought my Plue with her through the gate so I could hold onto his little shaking form for security. Eventually they coaxed me into bed. Before I knew it, I was out like a light.

I awoke the next morning, aching and sore from my scalp down to the tips of my toes. I immediately began crying again, recalling the night previous' events. A hand rested on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. I jumped, startled at the connection and turned to face the perpetrator. Loke looked at me with hard eyes, pushing the brim of his glasses back up his nose. "L-Loke?" I stammered, trembling under his touch.

"Lucy, I'd never hurt you," he whispered gently. "You knew those three would tell me what happened. I opened my gate and watched over you all night. I knew you wouldn't want to be alone."

Affection suddenly filled me and I launched my throbbing body into his welcoming arms. I buried my face into his neck and sobbed, clinging to his jacket as if I was afraid he'd disappear. "I'm not going anywhere," he responded, running a hand over my messy blonde hair.

"L-Loke, what am I going to d-do?" I wailed.

"I don't know," the lion answered honestly. We sat in my bed for a few minutes, my faithful spirit holding me as I cried into him. "You're so strong, Lucy."

His words gave me resolve. "I won't let this destroy me!" I suddenly declared, the tears drying up. "I'll just get stronger! And, I'll carry my keys everywhere with me," I added sheepishly and was glad to see that made a ghost of a smile appear on Leo's lips.

"Get dressed. Would you like me to escort you to the guild hall?"

"Mm!" I nodded, clutching my right fist over my heart.

I was shocked to see the girl looking back at me in the mirror was the same Lucy that I'd woken up to every morning. There were bags under my eyes and my face was slightly puffy from all the tears I'd shed. But those were still my chocolate eyes. That was still my shiny hair. I was feeling full of confidence until I looked down at my arms and saw the bright, purple bruises snaking over them. I gasped and looked away, feeling my heart race. Loke was beside me instantly, supporting me by my back. In his hand was my arm warmers, I hadn't worn them in so long. I felt queasy.

"It's cold enough outside, no one will think anything of you wearing these today, and a pair of jeans." I nodded and shakily pulled the warmed up to my biceps. Loke assisted in tying the yellow ribbons for me.

We left my apartment when I had finished getting ready. I left my hair down in a halo around my face, hoping it would hide the pain on my features. Walking was difficult. Between my legs ached terribly and it caused me to hobble slightly.

The guild hall was bustling with noise and excitement. Everyone was living their lives as if mine hadn't come to a fiery crash the night before. Mira smiled at me from behind the bar as I walked in, waving. "Good morning, Lucy!" she called.

"Oi'! Luc'! There you are!" I locked eyes with my best friend. Natsu Dragneel, the fire dragon slayer. Salamander. He was standing in the middle of the room, with our friend, Gray's neck trapped beneath his grasp. They were clearly bickering as usual. The ice mage was punching against Natsu's chest and going ignored. "Later, ice princess!" the pink-haired male quipped, releasing Gray and running over to me. "Where you been all morning, Luc'?" he asked and then eyed Loke suspiciously. "Loke. What are you doing here?"

Terrified, I looked at the celestial spirit, silently pleading for him to remain quiet. He respected my wishes. "It was a lovely morning, I wanted to spend some time with my dear Princess."

Natsu scoffed and pulled me away from him. "Go flirt with someone else, lion," he grumbled, pulling me out of Loke's grasp. Luckily, Natsu didn't notice my flinch as he closed his fist around my arm. "Want to do a mission today? Just me, you, and Happy!" He grinned so wide at me, I felt my heart crack a little. The thought of going out into the world today was out of the question.

I shook my head. "No Natsu," I whispered weakly. "I'm not feeling up to doing a mission today."

"What's wrong? You sick or something?" Concern filled his obsidian eyes as he looked over my body. I felt so exposed at that penetrating stare.

"No!" I screamed, leaping away from him. I wrapped my arms around my chest and began to shake violently. I felt the eyes of several guild mates wander in our direction.

Natsu looked like a puppy I'd just kicked. "W-wha'?... O-okay, Lucy." His eyes hooded and I felt like a complete shrew. My heart pounded in my throat. I felt the tears begin to form in the corners of my eyes. I wasn't ready for this. I couldn't be here.

With a choked sob, I turned on my heel and sprinted as fast as I could out of the guild hall. Loke was on my heels, calling for me to stop. I didn't slow until I was back at my apartment. I threw myself onto my plush bed and wept into my pillow. I heard Loke pull my desk chair out and place it beside the bed. I heard his weight as he plopped down into the chair. He didn't speak to me. I didn't speak to him. But he was there, my silent guardian, watching over my broken soul.

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**A/N: **Well... There's the first chapter. Please review or leave a comment! ^-^


	2. Annoyed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Trigger Warning: **Please refer to Chapter 1, Beginnings, for my trigger warning and take heed.

**A/N: ** Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read my story! And to those who reviewed, _thank you_! All your follows and kind words definitely will keep me going. So I've decided to write this story in alternating styles. 1st person Lucy/3rd person Natsu. Every odd chapter will belong to 1st person Lucy. Every even chapter will be for 3rd person Natsu. What do you guys think? I'd love the feedback!

Anyway! Enjoy the next installment of But a Thorn.

Gh057

.+*+.

Natsu Dragneel stared after his best friend with a slack jaw. It took him a few moments to blink his eyes and just as he was about to launch after the Celestial Mage a mailed gauntlet grabbed him by the shoulder. "No," Erza Scarlet commanded the dragon slayer.

"Erza," Natsu began to protest but he was silenced by a glare for the requip mage.

"Something is clearly very wrong with Lucy, let's give her a few moments before we go and overwhelm her," the red-head stated simply.

Natsu felt the anger rise in him. "She's my best friend," he snarled, teeth clenched. He balled his fists.

"All the more reason to back off. Give her the morning, part of the afternoon. You and Happy go check on her tonight."

His black eyes flashed at his friend. "Erza," he hissed. "Something is wrong, I can't just…"

"Natsu. You _will _do as she heeds," Makarov the guild master spoke up from where he'd been silently observing, perched on the bar with his legs crossed and his fingers steepled. "There are times when you chase after someone and times when you must let them breathe."

Shamefully, Natsu bowed his head. His fists shook in anger. "Come on, Happy," he said darkly. "Let's go fishing." He turned on his heel and stormed out of the guild hall, not caring if the exceed followed him or not.

"A-aye sir?" Happy blinked after him, glancing at Carla and Pantherlily before spreading his wings to follow the dragon slayer out of the hall. "Natsu?" the blue-haired cat asked, catching easily up to him. "Are you okay?"

"No. I'm not okay because Lucy is not okay."

The Exceed frowned but chose not to say anything. His friend was not in any sort of speaking mood. The wind whipped wildly at their faces; Natsu's rosy hair danced with the breeze, messy as always. It wasn't long before the duo reached the river. Unhappily, the dragon slayer flopped onto the bank. His eyes glowered into the water, slight tendrils of smoke wafted from his nostrils.

Happy watched him, worry etched into his feline features. Uneasily, the cat sat beside Natsu and cast his line into the river. For several minutes they sat in silence. The forest whispered quietly to them. Mist blew into their eyes with every rustle of wind. Zero fish attempted to bite as time wore on.

"Hey, Natsu?" Happy questioned cautiously.

"Yeah, Happy?" he replied, feeling the nerves inside his friend's voice.

The cat pulled his line back in and turned so that he was facing the mage. "What do you think is wrong with Lucy? Maybe she just ate too much fish."

A faint smile ghosted his pale, pink lips. "I hope that's all it is." He leaned backwards, into the sand. His muscular arms supported his head as he gazed up through the branches and towards the sky. "I… I don't think that's the problem though, Happy," he sighed, dejected. "She had a date last night, remember? I bet she got stood up again."

"Poor Lucy."

"Yeah. If she gets hurt one more time by stupid dates, we'll burn them to a crisp. Right, Happy?"

"Aye, sir!" The exceed beamed, "It's been a few hours. Let's go check on Lucy!"

"Good idea." Natsu leapt to his feet and dusted his clothes off. The pair strolled from the woods, trekking towards the canal and in the direction of Lucy's apartment.

Outside of Lucy's bedroom window, Natsu lifted his nose and breathed in deeply. The smell of salt was in the air. Inwardly, the dragon slayer cringed. It was clear that his best friend had been crying. That made him frown. He tried her door knob. Locked, of course. That never stopped him before.

With Happy's help he reached her bedroom window and braced his fingers against the seal and pulled. The glass didn't budge. "Huh? She always leaves her window unlocked," he murmured. As the sound escaped his lips a muffled bang hit the window.

A plush pillow soared through the air and flopped pathetically against the glass. The dragon slayer could hear the shrill rage from inside the room. "Natsu! You idiot!" The words were choked with tears. "Why can't you use a door, like a _SANE _person?!"

He pushed his face against the glass, looking at Lucy Heartfilia. The blonde was sitting up in bed, clutching another pillow against her chest. Her face was puffy and red, stained with tears. Her hair was in tangles, as if she been pulling at it as she sobbed. Beside the bed he saw Loke, sitting with his arms crossed over his chest. The spirit was calm, silent: observing.

"I tried the door, it was locked," Natsu said, raising his voice so that the celestial mage would hear him. "I always use the window when the door is locked because you leave it open for me." His dark eyes softened with concern. "Why was your window locked, Luc'?"

The second pillow smacked against the glass. "Because it _should always_ be locked! It's safer that way!" Lucy fell back into a heap on her bed, trembling. "Go away, Natsu," she whispered.

Without his keen senses, he wouldn't have heard it. But he did hear it. His brows stitched together. "Lucy…" he called, aching. "What did I do?"

Only silence answered him. Natsu turned his head towards Loke, pleading for answers. The lion shook his head to the side, adjusted his glasses, and looked back to the blonde. Ignored by Lucy. Annoyed by Loke. Natsu jumped away from the window, fuming once again. "What the _fuck?" _he screamed as he landed on the sidewalk, his hands clenched into fists. "The hell did I do?"

"N-Natsu?" Happy questioned, fluttering nearby.

"Screw this, Happy. I'm going for a walk."

The exceed knew that meant he wasn't invited. He watched pink hair vanish around a corner and turned his big eyes up to Lucy's window. "Lucy…" the cat whined, "I hope you're okay." With that, he flew back to the guild hall.

The dragon slayer stormed down road after road, kicking loose pebbles and muttering curses under his breath. "Why would she be doing this to me? I didn't do anything," he said to no one in particular. "I get she's upset but I want to _help_ her."

He sauntered in annoyance, smoke visibly rising off of his shoulders. Citizens of Magnolia stepped out of his way, some even going as far as to completely change sides of the street. The wind had died down as the evening approached, the canal's waters were tame off to his side.

He walked. His pace never faltering.

In the distance was the sound of children playing. An old couple bickering about what to do for dinner. A shop keeper and a patron bartering back and forth. One man drunkenly insulting another. It was all so normal. The world was in the right order. And yet…

Natsu Dragneel's world was in anything but order. The emotions he had read off of his best friend left his heart twisted in a way far more different than he had ever experienced before. He was _so _angry at her and yet he couldn't be angry at her, not really. She was experiencing a pain that he had no idea how to identify. It scared him.

"I just want my Lucy back," he said, leaning forward against the canal. The water below moved in a lazy line. The dragon slayer watched it churn slowly down the hill. With a sigh, he placed his chin on the hard slab, chewing on his lip with a pointy tooth.

Something caught his eye at that angle. A flag or something stuck in one of the drain waves. It was a pretty crimson. The fabric danced where it was stuck. The liquid hit it at just the right angle, and the material was suddenly free. Natsu saw that it wasn't a flag at all, it was a dress.

He breathed in deeply, sniffing the sweet water of the canal. His nostrils were hit hard with an entirely different smell. He doubted he would have recognized it if he hadn't spent nearly every single day around that aroma for the past several years. The water had nearly washed it away. The faintest hint of strawberries and vanilla. A clean smell, mixed with what he could only describe as star dust. It was the same fragrance that Lucy's celestial spirits and _fleuve d'etoiles_ always had.

Lucy.

Without thinking the dragon slayer launched himself into the canal. Several people retiring into their homes stopped to watch the insane fairy tail wizard as he splashed around, his long, tanned fingers stretching out to grab onto the red satin. Awkwardly, Natsu clambered back out of the water, thoroughly soaked but triumphantly clutching the soiled dress.

He shook his pink hair, sending spray in every direction. His jacket came off and he proceeded to wring the excess water back into the canal, trying in vain to dry his clothes. "How'd you get here?" he asked the dress, dripping at his feet. A smile began to creep across his lips until he really got to examine the gown. He stretched it out flat against the concrete and felt his innards clench and constrict.

It was destroyed and not from the water. It was torn in several deliberate places. One across the chest. A sleeve was completely severed; it would hang useless and limp off Lucy's shoulder. Where there'd once been a delicate slit, now the fabric was shredded much farther, clear to where Lucy's naval would have been.

Natsu stumbled backwards, clutching at the scarf Igneel had given him. He exhaled shakily. Then, he inhaled deeply and instantly bile rose in his throat. There was more than just Lucy on this dress. So much more. He didn't know how to identify it. Clinging to this once gorgeous dress was the distinct musk of a man. And blood. Lucy's blood. Blood that he'd sacrifice anything for it to never spill. Fearful sweat, the kind from facing death head on held onto the fabric.

He lost composure at the last odor. The sticky, sometimes intoxicating perfume of sex. This was not a smell of joy, like what hovered around the newly wed Gajeel and Levy Redfox. Nor was it the passion that clung so heavily to Glidarts. Nothing close to the loving aroma that he noticed from Gray and Juvia when they sat just a bit too close at the guild hall. This was pure horror.

He clenched his fists as tears sparked into the corners of his eyes. His jaw clenched. Rage boiled his blood.

He left the dress on the street, turned tail, and sprinted at a speed he rarely ever used back toward Lucy's apartment.

The dragon slayer stopped below her window to catch his breath, visibly shaking from the adrenaline coursing through his body.

With deep, quivering breaths he began to calm himself. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the bricks, listening for any sort of noise from his best friend's window.

"Lucy, you need to eat." Loke's voice.

"I-I can't." Lucy's response.

"Please." The celestial spirit pleading with his master.

"No." His best friend's choked reply.

Slowly, Natsu sank forward onto his knees, grinding his teeth. The dragon slayer felt guilty for eavesdropping but not guilty enough to stop and turn away.

"Lucy," Leo sounded determined, like the alpha male he was. "I will not let you starve."

"L-Loke, I can't do this," Lucy's reply was barely a whisper. "I can't do anything anymore."

"You will heal."

"I won't."

The words ripped at Natsu's heart, and yet he listened on.

"How can someone heal from this? What am I going to do Loke? I still feel him. I smell him. I hear him. Every second that passed I'm reliving my _rape_ over and over. And I am helpless. I'm as helpless now as I was then."

The odor of tears hit Natsu hard and it took a moment to realize that it was coming from his eyes. Ashamed, he used the back of his damp sleeve to wipe his eyes dry. Rape. Mavis, his suspicion—no—his worst fear was true. "Luc'…"

Again, Natsu was furious. He was furious at Lucy, for trying to handle this on her own without her guild. He was furious at Loke, for helping her hide it. He was beyond furious at the monster that had molested his best friend. But most of all, Natsu Dragneel was livid at himself because he let it happen.

He knew, beyond a doubt, that he could have prevented it. He could have stopped it.

"Luc', I'm _so _sorry," he whispered to the brick wall.

Resolve hit the stubborn dragon like a brick. He stood and vanished down the street.

An hour later, he was back under her window. His clothes were clean and dry. He had a knapsack slung over one shoulder. With a smirk he strolled casually up to her front door and knocked with far more force than was necessary.

An exasperated Loke swung the door open. He glowered at Natsu from under the brim of his glasses. "What do you want, Natsu?"

"I've come to hang out with Luc'," he challenged right back at the spirit.

"She's not feeling well."

"I brought her some dinner."

"She's not hungry."

"I. Am. Not. Leaving," Natsu annunciated every syllable and glared unwavering into the feral eyes looking back at him. A fire cracked from his knuckles. It was a brash warning but Loke accepted it.

"I don't know what you think you know," the spirit warned, "but if you make _one_ stupid move, I'll have your head."

"I'll take it for you," the dragon slayer replied with a smile.

He pushed past the lion and into the apartment. "Luccyyy~!" he cooed. "I'm home!"

.+*+.

**A/N: **There we have it! Thank you for reading But A Thorn's second chapter. I hope you look forward to more to come! ^-^

Oh, and I'd love if you reviewed or left a comment!


	3. Agreeing

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail. Please heed my Trigger Warning in Chapter 1, Beginnings.

**A/N: **I had today off so I spent a big chunk of today neglecting errands to write the third chapter instead. I'm so happy so many people are enjoying this story! Thank you guys, every single one!

.+*+.

That voice. My breath hitched in my throat causing an annoying hiccup sound to escape my lips. Instinctively, I pulled my bedspread up to my chin.

Natsu Dragneel barged into my room, clutching an overly full backpack in his arms. His goofy grin plastered on his face, eyes squinted in my direction. Loke followed behind him with a scowl, looking over Natsu's shoulder and into my eyes questioningly.

I opened my mouth to kick the dragon slayer out, to yell at him and force him to leave. But something made me change my mind. I visibly relaxed, my shoulders falling in defeat as Natsu propped himself on the edge of my bed, tossing the contents of his pack onto the sheets. This was my best friend. He wouldn't ever hurt me. I allowed a smile to ghost across my lips. "I'll summon you if I need you, Loke," I said.

Leo looked like he was about to protest until he looked into my visibly calmed eyes. He shoved his glasses up his nose with one finger and nodded briefly. "Don't hesitate." With that, the spirit left, vanishing back into the celestial world.

Natsu was busy organizing takeout containers in a shrine over my bed. "Natsu!" I chirped, slightly startled. "What are you doing?!"

"Huh? I'm just setting up our food." He retrieved two pairs of metal chop sticks from his bag and extended one to me, grinning from ear to ear.

I slunk down, guiltily. "I-I'm not hungry, Natsu."

The dragon slayer shrugged, gingerly placing my utensils over my legs. "Whatever, Luc'! More for me!" He reached out and grabbed the nearest box. As he lifted the lid away a delicious aroma hit my nose. My stomach growled in protest. Apparently my body was hungry, even if I was not. The pink haired male inhaled the steam then visibly licked his lips before attacking the contents.

"It'sh good, Lush," he garbled through a mouth of food, spraying particles across my sheets.

_Ugh, gross!_ "Natsu!" I whined, reaching over to push him. A grin spread across my lips and I made contact with his arm, tipping him sideways off my bed. He hit the floor with a loud clunk; somehow his food container remained upright.

I couldn't help it. My body hurt all over. I was exhausted from crying the day away. My soul ached. I was terrified of everything. Nervous that I'd never be okay ever again. But I couldn't help the erratic laugh that escaped from my throat at the look on Natsu's face, staring up at me from his position on the ground. I couldn't control it. I guffawed; tears pricking once more at the corners of my eyes. These tears, however, came from my merriment. I laughed until my sides hurt, my muscles stitching all across my abdomen. I clutched at my stomach, at the bruises from my assault and continued my hysterics.

Natsu watched me, bewildered. My mood was contagious because after a few moments, he began to chuckle too. He drooped his head in shame as his entire body shook with amusement.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. All I know is that when we finally had regained our breath his eyes were burning into me and his smile was a thin, concerned line.

"Lucy," he murmured, setting his takeout to the side. I flinched, grasping once more at my covers. "Lucy, I'm not sure what's going on," as he said that he shifted his eyes to the side. I couldn't help but wonder that he was maybe stretching the truth. He rose onto his knees, leaning against my bedframe. Slowly, he lifted his hand over to mine. He brushed his rough, callused fingers over my pink tattoo. As he grazed over my knuckles, an involuntary shudder ran through my body. "I'm here for you. I'll never leave your side. You're my best friend."

His smile brightened my soul and I turned my palm over to squeeze his hand. "Thank you, Natsu," I whispered meekly. A faint blush caressed my cheeks.

"You're hungry, let's eat." He jumped back onto my bed, crossing his legs and facing me.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "Alright."

The dragon slayer smirked triumphantly and handed me a cardboard container. We ate in silence for a few moments, both of us looking down at our food. "Natsu?" I finally questioned.

"Mm?"

"Why is your backpack so full?" He eyed me curiously for a moment and then jammed a hunk of food into his mouth, ignoring the question. I felt my blood shoot with annoyance. "Natsu?" I growled.

He took his time chewing, all the while I stared him down. "Well," he finally began, "You see… Happy's been spending a ton of time with Carla and Wendy lately. My house is feeling kinda empty. Lonely, ya know?"

I watched him with narrowed eyes.

"So. I figured I'd stay here for a while!"

"Natsu!" I protested. "You can't just invite yourself to live with me! This is not the way that the world works. No, absolut—"

"I'll pay the entirety of the rent, of course," he added simply, cutting me off midsentence.

Oh. Rent. I hadn't thought of rent after everything… I couldn't take any jobs. I was too weak. I didn't think I could even leave my apartment again. I clenched my teeth together. "Okay… But Natsu, we need to lay down some ground rules." I took a deep breath, clearing the empty containers off my bed to be thrown away after our conversation.

"Yeah?" he asked, genuinely listening to me.

My eyebrow twitched. "Privacy is important to me. If I want to be alone, you need to let me be alone. No barging into locked doors. Do not leave a mess. Dirty laundry goes in the hamper, not on the bathroom floor. If you spill something, clean it up. No setting fire—to anything."

He nodded as I spoke, smiling slightly. "Okay," he answered when I was done.

"Okay?" I questioned, taken aback.

"Okay. Deal."

I blinked and cocked an eyebrow up, it disappeared into my blonde bangs. "Why was that so easy?" I dreaded the answer.

"They seem like good rules, Luc'. Of course I'll agree to them. But—" _Great, I knew there was a catch. _"I have some conditions too." I let out a sigh, determined to listen to him just as he had respected and listened to me. "I know something is wrong. Talk to me about it when you're ready. If you're ever ready. We'll just go ahead and say that I realize something is eating at you, so please don't try to hide that you're hurting. If you need to cry, cry. I'll be a shoulder for you to lean on. I'm here to listen when you're ready or just give comfort."

He let out a breath, talking rather quickly. His words caused my cheeks to burn and I guiltily started to nibble on my lip. Natsu continued, "You have to stay healthy. I won't let you waste away." He lifted a finger as I began to open my mouth, silencing me. "Let me finish," he warned and I knew better than to challenge him. "You will not sit in this bed for the rest of your life, Lucy Heartfilia. When I feel you're ready, we will accept a mission. It can be just us two, or we can bring along the rest of the gang. That can be your decision. You're not going to blot Fairy Tail out of your life. You know just as well as I do that no one will let that happen. Mira would go Satan soul on your ass," he smirked wickedly at me and I couldn't help but smile.

"Mm, okay," I whispered weakly, moisture threatening my eyes once more. "It sounds like a deal to me."

I didn't want to admit it but I was overjoyed that Natsu would remain by my side. I didn't want to be alone and I knew that Loke couldn't stay out of the Celestial Spirit world forever. Outside my window, the stars winked down at us. Muffled voices crept through the glass as citizens of Magnolia began to retire for the evening. I considered telling Natsu about everything that had transpired but decided against it when I felt a rush of pain shoot from between my legs and course over the rest of my body.

Suddenly panicked, I tore out of the bed. "I-I need to take a shower!" I cried, sprinting into the bathroom. The door slammed behind me and I pressed my back against the wood, shaking like a leaf. I felt the man touching me, his tongue sliding over my neck. Tears freely streaked down my cheeks.

The water scolded my flesh as I let it cascade over me. I rubbed at my skin viciously with a loofa, burning away the taint of that monster's touch. I stayed under the spray until I began to lose hot water. The chill started to reach my spine and just as I was about to switch the spout off, it suddenly turned blistering again. Natsu.

That man had warmed up the water heater. I rolled my eyes. There he was, already breaking the rules and setting my apartment on fire. Well, I couldn't complain about this. I smiled as I leaned against the tile in the shower, fidgeting with my finger nails.

After I had turned into a giant, pale prune I decided it was time to get out. I wiped the steam away from my mirror and looked at the woman staring back at me. I wrapped my blonde hair into a towel and stepped back, taking in the entirety of myself. The bruises on my arms were starting to get a sickly yellow aura around them. My thighs were still a deep, ugly purple where he'd dug his fingers into my skin. My elbows were skinned. These injuries would heal. As my right hand lifted between my breasts, feeling the trumpeting of my heart, I sighed. I wasn't sure if it would ever heal.

I'd been far too emotional today. I was drained, weak. I couldn't force anymore tears. I couldn't even let the rage build inside my chest. I heaved myself into warm pajamas and left my hair to air dry.

Outside the bathroom, Natsu was cleaning up. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Not only had the dragon slayer thrown out the trash and wiped clean any mess, he'd changed the sheets on my bed and dusted my vanity. "Oi', there ya are. Was scared you'd dissolved in there," he said with a grin.

I stared at him, speechless. My feet moved before I made the connection to what I was doing. I threw myself into his arms, burying my face into his chest. He smelled of campfires and cinnamon and I breathed in the perfume of my best friend as more tears found their way to escape my eyes. "L-Lucy?!" he gaped, gently running his hand over my soggy hair. "What's wrong?!"

"T-thank you," I sobbed.

I felt the rumble in his chest before I heard his chuckle escape his throat. "Lucy, there's nothing to thank me for," he crooned honestly.

"No. There is so much to thank you for," I argued, stepping back from him and wiping my eyes with my sleeves.

He chose not to dispute with me, instead he just shrugged. "It's late. Let's get some sleep, okay?"

I nodded in agreement and climbed into my bed. He hovered outside of my door for a few moments, watching me in the dark. "I'll be right over on the couch if you need me," he finally said before quietly padding away.

I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow, physically drained.

The smell of meat sizzling startled me awake. I groaned loudly and propped myself up onto my elbows. My head was slamming and my eyes were terribly sore but my stomach rumbled in annoyance. Light cascaded onto my sheets and I briefly wondered what time it was. One look at the digital clock on the nightstand told me it was 10:39 in the morning and that I'd been sleeping for a very long time.

Outside my room I heard faint whispers of conversation. I strained to pick out the voices that were coming from my kitchen. Laughter assaulted my ears.

"Oi'! Shuddup, Lucy is sleeping." That was Natsu.

"Oops, sorry." Happy, of course. I grinned, that silly little blue cat.

"It's about time that she got up, don't you think?" Another voice? Who was that? I frowned.

"She's not feeling well," Natsu defended me.

"Well sitting in bed isn't going to fix it," the other voice grumbled again and I recognized it. Erza Scarlet.

"I'm almost done with breakfast, so I'm sure she'll be up momentarily." That chipper voice belonged to Levy McGard—no—Redfox, my closest female friend.

That was a lot of company. My stomach churned. I knew Erza wouldn't let me stay in bed and I definitely wasn't going to discuss my rape with anyone. I had to face the music and count on Natsu to be my backbone and monitor my emotions and save me if I needed him to.

Reluctantly, I swung my legs out of the sheets and pulled my robe on over my pajamas. I looked into my vanity and pulled my hair back into a lazy lopsided bun. "Here goes," I whispered, encouraging myself.

I shuffled my slippers over the wooden floor and followed the aroma of breakfast into my kitchen where my friends were conversing warmly.

"Good morning, guys," I said.

"Well good morning, sleeping beauty," Erza teased.

"Lu-chan!" Levy giggled, waving a spatula at me.

A mass of blue fur launched from my counter top and clung to my neck. "Luuuucccyyy!" Happy cried into my chest. "I was so scared you were gonna _die,_" Happy blubbered, overdramatic and obnoxious and usual. I chortled kindly, patting his soft head.

"I'm still here."

"Yes, you are," Natsu said. I turned and felt his gaze penetrating my soul, silently questioning my state of mind, questioning if I was okay with my friends being here. I smiled to answer his soundless query and sat on the bar stool beside him, placing the Exceed in my lap as I continued to stroke the pads of my fingers over his fur.

Once more, I wondered if maybe Natsu knew more than what he was letting on.

.+*+.

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed the third installment of But a Thorn. If you have a second, please shoot me a review or a comment! I really love the feedback and criticism!

Gh057


	4. Concerned

**A/N: **Hope you all enjoy this fairly light-hearted chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail. Trigger warning, there for a reason.

.+*+.

Concern clouded the dragon slayer's obsidian eyes as he watched his best friend absently stroke Happy's fur. He offered her a warm, encouraging smile. Loudly, Lucy's stomach growled. The smell of sizzling bacon wafted through the kitchen.

Levy giggled at the blush forming on Lucy's cheeks. "Lu-chan, I'm glad to see that you're hungry."

The celestial mage cast her eyes downward. "Mm, yeah," she replied shyly. Levy began to lob food onto plates. The scribe had outdone herself. Onto each dish she placed a mountain of eggs, fluffy with steam lazily rising from them. Following that was a thick stack of buttered pancakes, smothered in fresh strawberries and then came the thick slices of bacon, cooked flawlessly. The scribe finished up by pouring coffee into mugs and placing everything in front of her friends.

"Whoa!" Happy gasped, staring wide eyed at the food. "Levy!" The exceed proceeded to shovel his meal by the spoonful into his mouth.

Natsu followed suit, cramming a giant hunk of pancake into his gullet. "Thanksh Levy," he garbled through his full mouth.

Ezra was quite a bit more refined, delicately cutting a strawberry into small slices before placing them into her mouth. "It is quite wonderful," she commented with a smile, blotting her lips with the corner of a napkin.

"Thanks, Lev'," Lucy said, not as enthusiastic as Natsu would have expected her to normally be. It seemed no one else read into her tone as she picked meekly at the contents of her plate. The dragon slayer swallowed his current mouthful before discreetly nudging her leg underneath the bar. Her deep brown eyes shot him a glance and subtly she nodded. "Gajeel is one lucky guy," the celestial wizard said, smiling at her blue haired comrade.

"I'm glad you think so, Lu-chan. I feel like I'm the lucky one though." She blushed and took a sip of her coffee, hiding the ridiculous grin plastered onto her face. "I enjoy cooking for you guys though, you don't eat the silverware!"

"Lucy is correct," the red head agreed. "You're far too good for that metal head. He better realize that."

Levy beamed.

"Where is Gajeel anyway?" Lucy questioned.

"Ah, he and Pantherlily went out to meditate this morning under the waterfall not too far from here in the forest. You know how they are."

"Aye," Happy nodded, his face sticky with syrup. "Lucy," he added, twisting his head around to look at the blonde from the position on her lap. "Are you feeling better yet?"

"Mm, no not quite," she said truthfully.

"Oh," the cat sounded dejected. "Well, if you want I can go catch you a big fish! Or, when I see Carla today we can have Wendy come by and see if she can heal you."

It had been several years since Natsu had brought Lucy to Magnolia for the first time. The ups and downs Fairy Tail had experienced never seemed to really cease. Gildarts now took on the role of master, though he insisted everyone keep referring to Makarov as such. Many more wizards had passed the S Class trials and their guild still held proudly onto their number one guild in Fiore title. Of course, their Sabretooth friends were always close on their heels. Wendy Marvel, the sky dragon slayer had grown into a very strong mage and a beautiful woman. Using the gift taught by Grandeeney, and with the aid of Porlyusica, she'd managed to become an S Class wizard at a very young age.

She'd honed her offensive spells to deal massive amounts of damage but where she really shined, as she always had, was through her support spells. Wendy was by far one of the toughest healers in all of Fiore and people outside of their continent even took pilgrimages to seek out her talents. So it was natural for Happy to suggest Lucy ask Wendy to heal whatever was ailing her but a shadow cast over her eyes as she dipped her head down shamefully.

"Erm, no Happy," she stated calmly. "No, don't bother Wendy. I'll be fine. I don't think this is something she could help with anyway."

"Well, alright," the Exceed replied with a shrug, turning back to his plate. Luckily, the cat didn't pry any further.

However, tension crawled across the face of the weapon meister, her fork frozen in the air, forgotten. Her eyes shifted to Lucy as a scowl graced her features. Titania was stunning in every situation but the suspicion radiated off her in waves. Natsu's anxiety began to rise. He knew that his best friend wasn't ready to be confronted, by anyone, about her current state. Erza's red lips began to form an O as she began to speak.

In a panic, Natsu did the first thing he could think of. With a flash of brilliance the dragon slayer threw his arms out, as if going to stretch, and purposefully collided with both his, and Erza's piping hot mugs of coffee, flinging them off the bar and straight into the red head.

Brown liquid shot everywhere. The glasses bounced from Erza's lap and landed on the floor with a sickening crash. Sharp debris scattered over the floor like little needles made of porcelain. Happy shrieked and launched into the air, his hair fluffed out against his tail. Levy's hands clasp over her lips, hazel eyes wide with disbelief.

Lucy sat, stunned, her gaze darting back and forth between the two mages.

Erza Scarlet calmly placed her drenched napkin onto the plate in front of her. Red blotches were appearing across her torso where the coffee had scalded her. Very light drops of blood oozed from her ankle where glass had left her with a small cut on her Achilles' tendon. The pink haired wizard lowered his head, preparing for the onslaught.

The barstool hissed across the ground as Erza pushed away from the counter. "Lucy, be a dear and help me with this glass," she said sweetly, much too pleasantly.

Lucy squeaked as the requip mage addressed her and quickly leapt from her seat, rushing over to grab a couple of dish towels to begin mopping up the mess.

Extending a slender arm to the side, Erza began to faintly glow. A sharp rapier materialized into her grasp. Her casual attire of a tank top and acid-washed jeans disappeared and was replaced by her traditional Heart Kruez armor. A vein bulged in her temple as she closed her eyes, gauntlet tightening against the hilt of her blade.

Like a deer caught in headlights, Natsu scrutinized his companion. He swallowed the nervous jitters that were trying to escape his throat. Stiffening his resolve, the dragon slayer straightened his posture and looked into the smoldering chocolate eyes of Erza Scarlet. "I'm sorry, Erza," he said genuinely.

Her eyebrow twitched as she glared the male down. She gritted her teeth, jawline trembling with rage.

Lucy observed from the spot on the floor where she kneeled, drying up coffee and sweeping shards of glass into the bin Levy had retrieved. Erza remained silent, only the sound of the celestial wizard and scribe disposing of the shattered mug echoing through the kitchen.

In a blur of speed Erza flipped her sword around to the blunted side and in an arcing sweep smashed the cold, hard steel across Natsu's abdomen effectively knocking the wind from his lungs. He sunk to the floor on his knees, rasping and clutching his stomach. "Apology accepted," the redhead murmured as her sword evaporated and her armor was once more replaced with clothes designed more for comfort than battle.

For the next several minutes as the women cleaned up the mess Natsu had made he writhed on the ground. The blade had left a nasty, thick red line across his stomach that was sure to bruise even the dragon slayer. Still, Erza had held back; her temper only slightly having won out to the concern of her teammate. As if nothing had happened, Erza regarded Levy with a smile. "Breakfast was absolutely fabulous. You have quite the skill. Perhaps you'll give Mirajane a run for her money."

"T-thanks," the blue-haired scribe stammered, blinking from the Requip mage to the dragon slayer, still heaving on the floor.

"Get up, Natsu. You're being dramatic," Erza commanded.

With a grunt of pain, he lifted himself back onto the chair and huffed, still rubbing at the injury. "Mavis, Erza you could have cut me in half," he panted.

"Yes. I could have, but I didn't." The sweet tooth poked around the basket of strawberries until she found the plumpest and juiciest one before sticking it into her mouth.

Natsu looked at Happy with wide eyes, as if to say, "She's out of her mind." The exceed only shrugged and covered his face with his paws trying to hide the laughter he'd been holding in.

Lucy cleared their plates and began to load her dishwasher as they resumed their small talk. Mostly Erza lectured Levy on finally settling down with Gajeel and how she better not fall prey to becoming a stereotypical housewife. That Gajeel better never harm her in any way or he'd have Erza to deal with. At that, Lucy chimed in, "Me too!"

"Guys," Levy said exasperatedly, "we've dated for over five years. Don't you think I know Gajeel by now? I wish you'd put more faith in him!" She slammed her small fists on the counter, causing everyone in the room to jump in surprise. It was so rare for the solid script mage to show any sort of aggression that it had Erza frowning shamefully.

"I apologize, Levy. I just care for your wellbeing."

"So does Gajeel."

With his goofy grin plastered on his face, Natsu loudly agreed. "I don't like that metal head too much, he's cocky. But Levy is right. Dragons mate for life. They find their one true love—their soul mate and that's who they remain with until the day they die. You have absolutely nothing to worry about with Gajeel, he'll love Levy with every fiber of his being."

Levy turned red as she looked at the dragon slayer affectionately. "Thank you, Natsu," she whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

"Just speakin' the truth," he said matter-of-factly with a shrug.

"What do you know of love, Natsu?" Erza asked with a cocked brow, sincerely curious and not condescending at all.

His onyx eyes glanced for a moment to Lucy, a sponge in clutched in her right hand as she meticulously washed the iron pan. Suds stuck to her ivory skin. His breath hitched in his throat and it took him a second longer than it should have to respond. "I don't really know much. I don't have my mate," he chose those words rather than _I haven't found_ and for a moment chastised himself with eyes closed. "I only know what Igneel taught me before everything," he gestured his hand wildly and tugged apprehensively at his scarf. The memory of everything his father had sacrificed for him made his stomach clench and he lifted his hand over his heart. He doubted he would ever see his dad in this lifetime again, pretty much had been guaranteed that was the case after Tartarus.

"Wendy's said the same thing," Happy agreed. "Grandeeney thought it would be important to speak of luuuurrrveee," he enunciated with a rolling flair of the tongue, "before she sealed herself away. Even though Wendy was so young."

"I see," Erza said, fascinated by the history of the dragons. "Well, congratulations Levy." The bitterness in her tone wasn't on purpose and the scribe knew that.

"Jellal will come around," she stated purely with a grin.

The faintest of smiles crept over Erza's face as her memories turned to the blue-haired man. "I think it's about time we went to the guild hall, Levy. Better make sure no one is destroying anything."

"Mhm, good idea. Natsu, Happy, Lucy, you guys coming?" Levy asked.

"I haven't showered or gotten dressed yet," Lucy used as an excuse to stay home.

"You all go ahead, I'll be around to poke at Gildarts later," the pink-haired mage said with a yawn.

"Well, I'll come! Carla is probably there by now!" the cat said, leaping from his perch.

With swift farewells the two were left alone in Lucy's apartment. "I'm going to take a shower," Lucy whispered and disappeared.

"Okay," Natsu said to her vanished form with a frown.

.+*+.

**A/N: **Before you go leave me a review! I'll be so happy!


	5. Breathing

**A/N: ** I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! Ever notice how everything crazy always happens all at once? Yeah… It's been a rough few weeks for me. Please forgive me!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail. Trigger Warning.

.+*+.

I scrubbed between my legs, trying to burn my skin away. I rubbed the rough loofa against my skin until there were tears in my eyes and pain was shooting down to my toes. I could not get the sensation of my attacker's touch off. His smell burned into my nasal cavity.

Water cascaded over my body as I stood motionless in the stream. I sobbed into the crook of my arm, shaking violently until I stumbled out of the shower, throwing myself in front of the toilet. I vomited the contents of my stomach and the residual bile into the bowl. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and pressed my head against the cool porcelain, trembling from both my emotional state and the chill in the air as it attacked my soaked skin.

A loud knock at the door startled me. I threw my arms over my chest as I hiccupped my answer, "Yeah, what?"

"Luc'" Natsu's voice called over the shower. "Are you alright?"

I blinked my heavy eyes and cleared my throat. I contemplated my answer and began to utter the phrase, "Yeah I'm fine," but changed my mind at the last moment. I did not want to lie to my best friend anymore. It was absolutely obvious that I was not fine. "No," I sobbed loudly.

The door handle jiggled as Natsu went to open the door. I inhaled sharply, glad I'd locked the door before I had gotten undressed. "Luc', can I come in?"

"NO!" I shrieked, gripping my naked body tighter in my arms. "Natsu, I'm not dressed!" I yelled, my face lighting up with a ruby blush.

I heard the dragon slayer stumble backward from the door and regain his composure. "Oi', sorry Luc'. I just… You're not okay." His fist lightly hit the door in frustration as his forehead leaned against the wood.

Nervously I stood and wrapped a towel tightly around my torso, leaving my hair dripping down my back. I turned the water off and cautiously unlocked the door. Natsu opened the door uncharacteristically calm and I greeted him with my tear stained face. Very unfeminine, I sniffled snot back up into my nose.

My best friend took in my shame, his black eyes weighing heavily on me. The pain etched into his features made me look down at the door, my hands balled into fists. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. A tear drop escaped my eye and crashed onto the linoleum floor. The fog from the shower hung lazily around the room.

"Lucy!" Natsu said with one release of his breath, pulling my body into his arms. He cradled me against his warm chest. I buried my face into him, breathing him in and listening to the soothing rhythm of his heart beat. His strong fingers stroked through my wet hair, gently detangling it.

He slowly and carefully pulled me to the ground, using the wall to support his back as I laid against him. I unloaded my tears, all my pain and confusion, into his white shirt. He stroked my hair and teased his fingers up and down my spine as I cried. He didn't care that I was drenching his clothing and covering him in the slime from my unfinished bath.

Repeatedly I blubbered that I was sorry, my voice muffled into his pectorals. He just comforted me in silence. By the time my tears had dried up all the fog in the bathroom had dissipated and my long blonde hair had dried into a messy frizzled mop. "Thank you, Natsu," I whispered, pulling away from him and wiping my eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Mm, I will be!" I said confidently and at that moment I knew it was true. I would be okay even if I never healed from this. With Salamander by my side I could accomplish anything of that I was sure. He didn't release me from his hold as his onyx eyes darted back and forth, devouring every ounce of my fractured soul. My cheeks tinted to the same color of his hair and I smiled in embarrassment before wrapping my arms around his neck and embracing him in a comfortable hug.

It was his time to blush as I pulled away from him and stood. "I need to finish my shower."

"O-okay," he said, reaching his arm behind his neck. He pulled himself to his feet and disappeared out of the room. I closed the door and locked it once more. When I was back under the stream of water I let my mind wander. _How long is this emotional roller coaster going to last? _I thought bitterly, squeezing shampoo into my hair and working it into a lather.

Once fully satisfied with my hygiene I got out of the shower and dried my hair. After a few minutes of contemplation, looking myself over in the mirror I decided that I wanted to try something new. I retrieved Cancer's key and raised it into the air. "Open gate of the crab!"

With a poof the celestial spirit materialized in front of me. "Yo, yo, _ebi_," he said, clicking his scissors together.

The minutes ticked away as he styled my hair, keeping me turned away from the mirror until he was finished. I tried to cheat and look at my reflection in his glasses but he always tilted his head at just the right angle to make sure I couldn't see. The celestial spirit made small talk as the snipped away. Tendrils of brilliant blonde hair rained to the floor. White tiles stained with gold.

"I can always grow it back, _ebi_," Cancer reassured me, feeling my erratic heart beat throb on my neck.

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. "Mm, yeah. Okay, let me see."

Cancer spun me delicately around until I was facing the busty blonde in the mirror. My breath hitched. His talented claws had sculpted my hair into something foreign. Styled into a short, choppy mess my hair framed my face to give me an edge I certainly didn't feel I had. Somehow my eyes seemed deeper, a more earthy brown. To add to my new look, the celestial spirit had tied a long, silken scarf around my head, acting as a hair band to keep my bangs from invading my eyes. It was in my favorite shade of blue, icy and intense just like a clear sky. Silver stars were woven into the cloth, an ode to my magical attunement.

"Different, _ebi."_

I smiled toothily at my reflection. "It's perfect, thank you!" I cried excitedly before closing the gate of the crab.

I added the finishing touches to my look, smearing light makeup over my face. With a strong resolve, I opened the door to find Natsu Dragneel, lazing boredly on the couch. The male was laying on his side, propping his head up with a fist as he casually flicked through the book he was reading. With every page flip he licked the pads of his index finger. What an odd sight, to see Natsu reading a book. I let my feet glide across the floor, inching closer to inspect what it was that had he engrossed. How strange, it appeared as if it wasn't typed but written by hand. It took a couple seconds for me to connect the dots. The leather binding was a very familiar purple. My face fell. With dismay, I let out a shriek and dived towards him.

My diary!

I collided into the dragon slayer with a fantastic oomph. The crown of my head rammed into his nose, instantly watering both our eyes. I scrambled to free my journal away from his grubby fingers. The pounding of my heart raised into my throat as I cradled the book close to my chest. Natsu was busy cursing, holding his nose as tears leaked down his cheeks. "Mavis! Wha' the heck Luc'?" he grumbled.

"You can't just go through my journal!" I screeched back at him.

Deep stormy eyes gazed up at me, crisp and clear in their obsidian stare. A surge of guilt struck through me as I held onto the book. Shamefully, I bent my head. A soft tug on the diary grabbed my attention. "Lucy," Natsu whispered and his tone sounded pained. His chest rose and fell steadily, even though I was still perched on his abs from where I'd tackled him. Nervously I glanced down at my pink-haired companion. Onyx orbs pierced me down to my core and I felt my flesh flush. Slowly a tanned arm lifted and his fingers brushed unkempt strands of blonde hair back from my face. "Lucy, you look gorgeous," his voice barely hit my ears but the smile he gave me lit my world.

"You like it?" I asked stupidly, toying with the scarf between nervous fingers.

"Definitely! Though, you're always pretty." He shifted so he was sitting up and without any effort he lifted me off of him and to my own cushion on the couch. Such an offhanded compliment, almost as if he hadn't meant to praise me at all. Natsu had called me pretty so easily. Stated like a fact rather than an opinion. It made my confidence grow, if only slightly. For the first time in the last week, I felt good about myself. "Where's your head at?" he inquired, suddenly concerned.

"Nowhere. It's just… That was very sweet of you to say." I flashed him a ginormous smile.

He cocked an eyebrow and laughed. "I didn't say it to be sweet. You're a gorgeous woman, Lucy. Everyone in all of Fiore, no all of Earthland—and Edolas—can see that. Even the celestial spirits agree." I blushed heavier at his words, the goofy grin couldn't fall off my face. "Anyway," Natsu continued as if he hadn't just made my heart ache, "do you feel up to going to the guild hall? I'd love to show you off."

I contemplated a moment. "Mm, yeah! Sure. As long as," I bit my lip, "please promise not to leave my side. I don't… I can't handle being alone. I need you next to me."

"Of course," he said without questioning my motives. He leapt from the couch and extended his hand to me. "Let's go!"

I laughed freely as we sprinted from my apartment, hand in hand.

The sound of the guild hall crashed into my ears. People were laughing, talking, and the sound of cutlery banging on the wooden tabletops: music. Mirajane stood behind the bar, drying a stein as she chortled flamboyantly with her siblings. Elfman had his arm draped protectively around Evergreen. Lisanna giggled into her coffee mug, her blue eyes shimmering. Gildarts, Cana, and Makarov clustered together a few feet away from the trio. The brunette was reading her cards in between guzzling ale.

Freid and Laxus sat away from everyone, in a corner table to themselves. I couldn't help but smile as I noticed the two holding onto each other's hands underneath the board. They appeared to be in a heated conversation, lightning positively crackling around Laxus' head. No doubt Freid was lecturing on Laxus on being more careful, pleading to let him enchant him with protection spells even though it'd been a few weeks since Laxus had even attempted to do a mission solo without the Thunder Legion.

Levy sat curled into Gajeel's lap, her reading glasses on though her book forgotten as she spoke to Gray and Juvia who occupied the table with them. The iron dragon slayer rolled his eyes and tilted his head back, grumbling something in a whisper to Pantherlily which caused Levy to scowl and push against his hard chest. The two blue-haired mages certainly adored their respective men, Juvia absentmindedly stroking Gray's arm, deep in conversation.

The red haired requip mage, Erza Scarlet, sat by herself with a slice of strawberry cake. She was staring at her food, frowning. I noticed that her call card (Cana had made one for both her and Jellal) propped against her cup, dark. My heart ached for her. Her love for Jellal had only grown as the years had gone by. But he was still focused on destroying dark guilds, insisting that he didn't deserve a life of happiness with Erza. Wendy Marvel sauntered over to Erza and sat beside the weapon smith, instantly brightening her mood and causing her to forget about the card she'd been anxiously waiting on. Wendy had grown into a stunning woman. Her chest had never quite filled out but she was stunning nonetheless. Her face was angular like a model, his blue hair long and silky. Her eyes were wide and bright and her smile was a small, spectacular line that always brought joy with it.

Everything seemed like business as usual but I still felt my heart rising into my throat. I stumbled through the door, nervous. Natsu was there to catch me, help me regain my balance. Always my rock. The constant in my life.

Mira was the first to notice us enter. She extended her slender arm in a polite wave. "Hey Lucy! Hi Natsu!" she called to us with her signature grin.

I smiled and waved back. Natsu excitedly shouted, "Mira! Whip me up some grub, I'm starved!" I rolled my eyes, exasperated. The dragon slayer could eat tirelessly and never feel content. "Where do you want to sit Lucy?" he asked in a whisper, turning to look into my face. He didn't leave my side, just as he'd promised.

My gaze shifted nervously across the hall. "Um, how about over there?" I pointed to the table against a column where Levy was talking excitedly with Juvia, her tome in a forgotten heap. Natsu smirked knowingly at me. With his hand braced against the small of my back, the pink haired male guided me over to them.

"Lu!" Levy exclaimed as I sat opposite her, Natsu sitting between me and Gray.

"Hey Lucy," Gray said.

Gajeel simply grunted and nodded in acknowledgement to our presence. And Juvia waved warmly. "Juvia is glad to see you're feeling better."

"Mm, yeah. I'm getting there," I replied.

I let the conversation melt around me. The murmur suffocating all my senses as I cleared my mind and let my vision blur. I wrung my hands together anxiously under the table, chewing absently at my lip. Natsu felt my unease and subtly gave my knee a reassuring squeeze. I barely noticed Mira trot over with his lunch. My attention was elsewhere.

_Rancid odor invading my nostrils. Hot, sticky breath licking across the nape of my neck. Every single inch of my body that he touched seared my flesh, burning with complete and utter agony. His green hair tickled my chin a sensation that felt absolutely wrong. Tears slid silently from my eyes, staining my makeup streaked face. The blocked out the sound of his voice, hissing insults into my ear, telling me that this was what I wanted all along. His rough hands fondled my breasts against the crimson fabric, squeezing hard enough that I was sure they'd explode. Nothing compared to the pain that came next. He plunged into my sacred area, ripping me apart._

"Lucy!" Natsu hissed into my ear, startling me from my daydream. "Your heart sounds like it's about to leave your chest, are you okay?"

My eyes watered, my skin crawled. I trembled violently at the nasty memory. "No. I'm not okay. Natsu, let's leave."

He didn't hesitate. Instantly the pink haired dragon slayer stood from the bench and pulled me up with him. "Lucy isn't feeling well, I'm taking her home." Without waiting for a response, he swept me out of the guild hall. Even his food remained unfinished, my best friend's concern for me greater than anything else.

Wind swirled through my short hair as we left. I gulped down huge breaths, calming my nerves. We walked back to my apartment in silence, Natsu never straying from my side. At the door, I hesitated. "Natsu?" I whispered, out of breath.

"Yeah Luc'?"

"I'm not ready to go inside. Can we go sit outside somewhere?"

"Of course. Want to go to the park?"

I nodded.

The park was blissfully silent. Gently, the dragon slayer led me to a huge Rainbow Sakura tree. It felt like eons ago that Natsu and Happy had uprooted this exact tree and shipped it down the canal when I was sick and stuck in bed so that I could experience it in bloom for the first time. Since then, the tree had flourished after he'd replanted it. Now it stood as the most glorious tree in all of Magnolia and even had a placard set in stone near it commemorating Natsu's brazen act. We sat side by side, leaning against the bark.

With my eyes turned upwards at the azure sky, I made up my mind to tell Natsu. I argued and debated with myself the entire walk here. I needed someone I could talk to. I wanted someone other than my spirits who I could confide in about my rape. A deep sigh escaped my lips and he turned his eyes in my direction. "Natsu," I breathed. "I need to tell you something."

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**A/N: ** Cliffhanger! Sorry. Couldn't resist.


	6. Confessed

**A/N: ** I'm not exactly sure where to start with this Author's Note. I don't feel like an apology is sufficient nor do I feel I really need one. I'm an adult. I have a career and a life outside of writing and sometimes I get caught up in the whirlwind that is every day. Writer's Block comes and goes but I do try to write a little something every day (and it's not always Fan Fiction, I'm sorry!) Everyone who has followed, favored, and reviewed this story so far is simply amazing and you definitely inspire me to continue this story to its end. I hope you all stick with me for this ride. Thanks, as always.

-GH057

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail. Trigger Warning.

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"I... I was raped," crystalline tears cascaded from big chocolate eyes, streaking Lucy Heartfilia's pale face. Her tone was so dejected and broken; her heart ached with the pain of a thousand daggers. Ashamed of herself, the celestial wizard buried her face into her arms, curling into a human ball against the Sakura tree. Her sobs shook her body violently. With each rasping breath she dug her long, polished nails into the sensitive flesh of her arms, scratching feebly to try to bring a different pain to dissipate the memory of her assault. Yet still the world carried on. A mild breeze rustled the leaves, whispering secrets that only nature was to know.

The sound of the dragon slayer by her shifting was overtaken by the misery of her cries. Suddenly, she was enveloped inside the sinewy arms of Natsu Dragneel. With no effort he scooped her into his lap and cradled her. Lucy breathed in his scent, the intoxicating aroma of campfire smoke and faintest hints of cinnamon. In turn, Natsu inhaled against her hair, letting his mind, if only for the briefest of seconds, melt at the smell of strawberries and vanilla. Even despite that wonderful Lucy scent, he smelled her pain and misery. He knew that with every bath she rubbed herself to the pointing of bleeding raw. "I know," he whispered into her scalp.

Lucy's face contorted in confusion. "You know?" she questioned, dumbfounded. Her tears dried up as she pulled far enough away from Natsu to look into his concerned onyx eyes.

"Yeah."

Lucy sat in silence, waiting for his explanation. Her brows stitched together as she searched his face for answers.

A sigh escaped the dragon slayer. "When you first came to the guild hall I wanted to know what was wrong. I wanted to follow you and talk to you but Makarov and Erza's convinced me not to. And I was mad so I went for a walk along the canal," his words came pained, "I found your dress."

Lucy bit her lip and looked away from Natsu. Shame turned her face into a ruby. The mage would not bring herself to look into his deep eyes, mist shimmering against the orbs of striking onyx. Searching for her voice, she barely managed, "Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

Natsu shifted against the bark, positioning her more comfortably against his muscular chest. He tilted his head back against the tree, absently stroking Lucy's slender arm. The dragon slayer hesitated before speaking, "It wasn't my place," he murmured with wisdom far beyond his years. Lucy blinked tears out of her moist, brown eyes. Perhaps Natsu was more socially inept than he let on. "You would tell me when you were ready."

Blonde locks fell onto her face as she bent her head shamefully. Natsu gave her a reassuring squeeze. "There's nothing to feel ashamed about, Luce," he murmured into her ear.

That's when the dam broke. Tears cascaded from Lucy's deep eyes. Violent sobs wracked her body into vicious trembles. Her heart raced, veins constricting in pure agony. Her hands balled into fists, clutching helplessly at Natsu's scarf. She cried so hard her head began to ache but not nearly as deeply as her core. The memory licked at her, still a fresh wound.

Natsu held his best friend protectively, shielding her in his sinewy arms. He trembled subtly, fury coursing through him like wild fire. The only thing keeping him from ripping Fiore apart in search of Lucy's attacker was the blonde herself. She was broken, a China vase with spider web cracks splitting end to end, one wrong move and it would shatter into pieces: an unfixable mess. As he clutched the summoner against his chest, his chin resting on top of her cranium, smoke coiled out of his nostrils and his eyes flashed. It was so much worse hearing Lucy confirm his deepest fear. His jugular visibly pulsed on his throat as he bottled his rage.

"I'm so weak," Lucy's voice quaked.

"No," Natsu snapped back, definitively. "You're not." He shifted and pulled her up so that her tear drenched face met his obsidian gaze. "Lucy, you're one of the strongest mages I've ever met. You're the glue that holds our team together. How could you say that you're not strong?"

"I didn't have my keys. I didn't have my whip," her voice cracked but she continued on, "I was completely helpless... I was so sick of Loke interfering on his own that I commanded he ignored any distress he sensed in me. I told him that I could handle anything and that if I needed him, I'd summon him." Desperately, she clenched her fist around her keys. Her knuckles turned white. "This wasn't supposed to happen to me."

Natsu's stomach churned. He held his best friend against his breast, murmuring half-hearted reassurances into her blonde tresses. The dragon slayer hadn't a clue what Lucy had went through; he could only imagine and that made the rage bubble deep within him. A fire ignited in the core of his body. "This could have happened to anyone," he told her but his heart disagreed. _This shouldn't have happened to Lucy. I should have been there. I should have protected her. I let my best friend get hurt! _

The minutes dwindled by. Slow and incomprehensible. Until eventually Lucy's tears had tired, leaving her eyes puffy and red.

"Hey!" The pair both looked up, startled by the sudden commotion. A few feet away from them was a young girl. She appeared to be around twelve, maybe thirteen. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black. The sun reflecting off her wavy locks subtly glinted the color of fresh soil. Her eyes were striking, a bright violet that sparkled even from the distance she was standing away from them. Two perfect lilacs guiding her vision. The rest of her however wasn't nearly as breath taking. She was dirty. Her cheeks were tinted with soot, her clothes hung limply from her shoulders and hips, far too skinny. The rags she wore were worn down, stained with various substances. Her lips were full but chapped and split, blood dried deep within the trenches.

Magnolia was not known for their homeless but like all cities, they had their share-hidden under the canals, sleeping deep inside the parks. This girl clearly belonged in that category. An orphan, sick of bouncing around foster homes who decided to take control of her life. Because choosing the way she got to live was certainly better than being told. She narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized the Fairy Tail wizards. "You're mages from that guild," she stated matter-of-factly. "You okay, girl?"

Natsu felt a twinge of annoyance as this kid degraded Lucy, calling her a child. But it was Lucy who took in the full image of the orphan. Her big, brown eyes wide. "I'm fine." Guilt wracked through her veins. This poor adolescent, barely old enough for puberty, was questioning if she, an adult (albeit a young one), was alright when clearly the purple eyed vixen was living a life eons more difficult than her own. Lucy Heartfilia had been raped. But who knew what this child had gone through. Resolve coursed through her; Natsu's brow puckered. He knew that look far too well. The celestial mage had made a decision that she would not be swayed from.

Lucy stood up, pushing herself out of Natsu's grasp. She lightly dusted her clothes clean. Her tears were forgotten as she beamed, her famous smile lighting her entire face. "I'm fine! My name is Lucy Heartfilia, I'm a celesti-"

"I know who you are. And I know that's the Salamander," the stranger gestured with a dirty hand towards the dragon slayer, still pressed against the Sakura tree. Even from their distance the pair could see grime caked under her nails, which had been bitten down to the beds. "Listen, you've been crying for, like, ever," her tone turned bored. "You're seriously, like, a buzz kill. So if you're fine could you, like, please leave?"

Lucy gaped at the girl, her jaw slack. She was taken aback at her brunt words. Natsu stood, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Listen, greasy little punk," he snarled dangerously.

Purple eyes looked at him in amusement, a cocky smirk flitting across the dry lips. She opened her mouth to begin a retort however it was Lucy who found words first. "Are you hungry?"

"What?" Natsu and the stranger blurted simultaneously. The dragon slayer's tone was harsh, contemptuous. The girl sounded more bored. Unaffected by anything.

"Are you hungry?" Lucy repeated. Her voice oozed of sickly sweet concern. The mage ignored Natsu. "You look like you're starved."

Suspicion raised the stranger's eyes. Her body visibly tensed. "Why do you care?" She spit venomously.

"I'd like to get you a meal. Maybe a hot shower. Wash your clothes."

Natsu grimaced. He squeezed Lucy's shoulder, trying to silently communicate. Was it really a good idea to bring a street rat back to her apartment? With a slight shake of her head, blue bandana fluttering, she continued, "I'd like to bring you to our guild hall. If you'd like. It's a free meal."

The girl chewed on her lip, contemplating the next course of action. Absently she picked at the dingy nubs of her fingernails. Her eyes pierced into Lucy. "Why?"

"You're down on your luck. I'd like to help. Fairy Tail would love to get you back on your feet!" A smile plastered her face, lighting up her cheeks. She extended her slender arm out to the girl, her right hand proudly displaying the pink mark.

Cautiously, the orphan accepted her greeting by limply wrapping her dirty fingers around Lucy's pristine skin. It was like shaking hands with a skeleton. Her grip was weak and frigid cold. Etched and pocketed with a layer of dirt, tracing every wrinkle and flaw. These appendages couldn't belong to this girl; calloused and withered far beyond their short years.

The wind was beginning to pick up as the trio left the Sakura tree. Lucy walked along the side of the canal. The spray whipped against her cheeks, sprinkling into her clothes. The homeless girl meandered beside her, curiosity flashing in the purple irises. Natsu Dragneel dragged his feet behind them. He blew an obnoxious strand of pink hair from his eyes. He lifted his arms behind his neck and tilted his head against them, looking at the clouds churning ominously in the sky. His heart ached for Lucy. The celestial mage was looking to alleviate her pain and sorrow by taking in the street rat. He was willing to do anything if it meant seeing Luce happy again. Silently, he noted how the homeless girl stared at Lucy when she thought no one was looking, he saw a flash of envy in her cold and calculating eyes. He knew why. Lucy had a family. Fairy Tail would forever be her home; if needed they would feed, clothe, and provide her shelter if there ever came a day where she could not. This child, however, was alone. Evidence of a hard life was caked under her nails. Faint, old bruises dusted her knuckles and Natsu couldn't help but wonder what or whom she'd hit.

The girl looked at Lucy how she often looked at herself. Some spoiled heiress, despite the fate of her father, a lady who never faced a troubled night. That guilt ate Lucy because she hated living at her father's estate despite all the luxuries. And even though her father and his fortune were long gone, the Heartfilia name haunted her wherever she went. No one cared that Jude Heartfilia had died several years earlier, utterly penniless and alone. When all is said and done, no one cares when you're down on your luck; they focus instead at your glory. People hear Heartfilia and their vision hazes with green. Lucy was the type of woman whose heart was too big and who took every word and absorbed it into her psyche.

On the same page, Natsu could relate to this girl. When Igneel had vanished, the dragon slayer had felt the pure misery that comes from having nothing. Up until he found his home inside the Fairy Tail Guild, that is. So, he watched the malnourished, dirty girl with a mixture of caution and pity.

"Open gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!" Lucy called as they came within the last fifty yards of the guild hall. In her right hand was clutched the small, silver key. A trembling, little canine creature popped into Lucy's welcome arms. "Hello Plue," she cooed to him.

"Pun-pun!" Plue greeted his master.

Purple eyes went even wider with curiosity as the street rat pushed her dark locks from her vision. "Wow!" she hissed in amazement, the first time actually acting her age.

"This is Plue, one of my contracted spirits!" Lucy happily explained, holding the creature out for closer inspection.

"I've never actually seen a summoning type of magic before," the girl murmured, slowly reaching a finger out towards Plue. "Just the regular caster type." She brushed against the dog's head and started suddenly when he trembled against her hand.

"Pun-pun," he chattered reassuringly, gesturing excitedly with his arms.

With a hardened determination, Lucy pushed the heavy oak doors of the guild hall open. She stepped to the side to allow Natsu and the girl to enter ahead of her. As the pink haired mage passed, he smiled at her with his ebony eyes.

In the far corner, against a thick pillar Levy sat curled on top of Gajeel's lap with her nose buried in a book. The iron dragon slayer had a facade of annoyance on his brow but his cheeks were tinged with the slightest of pinks. In his crimson eyes you could see the affection he held for the solid script mage. Erza Scarlett was perched with perfect posture at the bar, talking with the small, elderly guild master who sat cross legged on the counter top. Mirajane Strauss and her younger sister, Lisanna, busied themselves with the cleaning and drying of steins. Gildarts Clive and his daughter, Cana, sat at the other end of the bar both with large pitchers of ale. Cana had her tarot cards lined in front of them and was murmuring something to her father. He watched her with what could only be described as adoration.

Lucy, Natsu, and their guest had arrived early enough in the day that the guild hall was not crowded. The celestial mage sighed in relief. She wasn't prepared to be bombarded by the insanity that typically was Fairy Tail. Pantherlily, the dark haired Exceed that was perched beside Levy and reading over her shoulder, was the first to spot the trio enter. "Hello Natsu, Lucy. Who's this?" He asked sternly, and loudly. It was enough to cause everyone else to look their way.

"Oh this is!... Um..." Lucy began but frowned. She hadn't gotten the girl's name before. The street rat seemed to shrink beside Natsu, hiding from all the eyes piercing her flesh.

"Gilligan," she whispered so quietly that the only two people in the room to hear her were the dragons. "Gilly."

"Gilly," said Gajeel loudly, his crimson eyes sizing the girl up and down.

"Gilligan, that's a weird name," Natsu quipped which earned him an elbow to the ribs from his best friend.

"Said Natsu," she laughed. "This is Gilly," she looked at the girl for confirmation, "We ran into her at the park... I wanted to get her a meal. And a shower," the blonde looked hopefully at Makarov.

The small, elderly man steepled hid fingers together as he assessed their guest. His face was stern and calculating. After what felt like eons he gestured forward with his head, "Very well. My children are always willing to assist those in need." He flashed Gilly a ridiculously toothy grin. "Erza, Mira, would you be willing to help Lucy care for our guest?"

The red head stood and faced Gilligan, her arms crossed. Mira slipped out from behind the bar, beaming prettily. Gilligan seemed quite overwhelmed, her cheeks were aflame under the grime and her violet eyes trembled in their sockets. She stooped her small frame into an awkward bow. "Thank you," she whispered, barely audible.

Mirajane Strauss was always the perfect hostess; she extended her arm out to the vagrant with no judgement whatsoever. "Come along Gilly, let's get you a shower at Fairy Hills!"

"Pun!" Plue quaked.

Gilly remained locked in her boots. Hospitality was a rarity on the streets and the kindness of this guild had her petrified. Lucy took that as her opportunity to steer the girl in the right direction, gently placing her hands onto Gilly's back. Even through her clothing, Lucy could count every vertebrae of her spine.

Natsu strode forward, following in the wake of his best friend. Quite out of nowhere a gauntlet was thrown in front of his chest. "No boys are allowed at Fairy Hills," Erza growled warningly.

The dragon slayer's animated face fell drastically at the barrier between him and Lucy Heartfilia. "Bu-" he began lamely until he glanced at his best friend's expression. The blonde smiled reassuringly and bowed her head subtly, motioning that she was fine. Concern filled his ebony eyes but obediently he stepped back towards Gajeel's table to wait for their return.

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**A/N: ** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'd love for you to give me a review before you leave! Thanks everyone!


	7. Warming

**A/N: **So I've been on a roll writing this for the past few days and since it took me so long to update before I thought I'd give you guys another chapter! To everyone who has favored, followed, and **reviewed** THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys make me smile!~ This is also the longest chapter I've written thus far so I hope everyone enjoys it. Leave me a review before you go, please? ^^

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

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I let my concern for Gilligan entrap my thoughts. All I allowed myself to think of was this poor, homeless girl with a life much rougher than mine. Every breath I took was with a determination to make her better. Nurturing was a part of my soul; I'd always coddled everything I cared for. This slender, dark haired, mysterious child was no different. She just gave me an excuse to stop wallowing in my self pity.

Gilly's shoulders moved stiffly as she walked; her entire body was tense. I could picture her unique amethyst eyes darting back and forth on corridor's horizon. A part of me felt like we were marching a prisoner to the showers. Erza and Mira strode shoulder to shoulder in front of the girl and I made up the rear, effectively blocking any escape. Plue flanked Gilligan, shaky as usual, his big eyes gazing up at her in wonder every few seconds.

Luckily the bath house wasn't too far from the bar at the guild hall. The heavenly scent of lavender assaulted the humid air, warm mist danced around our toes. Gilligan visibly relaxed. Plue tugged on my pants and I looked down as he gave his farewells in a way only the Dog Star could before he disappeared back to the celestial world.

There was a flash of bright, blinding light as Erza sat on an oak bench nearest the pools. Her armor was gone, replaced with a not-so-modest towel that hugged her ample curves. Her long, crimson locks were hidden in a cotton wrap on top her head. "Alright, Gilly, give your clothes to Mira so they can be washed as you bathe." Erza's voice was commanding but not unkind.

What little color Gilligan had drained from her face. "W-what?" she stammered meekly.

"Don't be shy! You don't have anything we haven't seen before!" Mirajane chirped as she slid from her dress, left only in her undergarments.

It was then that I realized I was meant to undress as well. Suddenly, I faltered. My heart beat escalated erratically. A twinge of memorable pain shot from between my legs. I took a shaky breath, trying to fight the conflict in my head. These were my friends. They would not blame me. They would be beside me.

_Are you sure about that? _hissed an unwelcome and annoying voice in my head. _You always dress like a slut. They'll think you had it coming. You're at fault. You're the blame. _Nausea crept into my stomach as I tried to silence the voice. I closed my eyes and pictured a mop of pink hair, fiery black eyes, and the most genuine smile a dragon to offer. Natsu was beside me. That was all that mattered. With one glance at the trembling girl, I made up my mind. A new found confidence entered my bloodstream and I reached up and began to undo my arm warmers. I took my precious scarf from my hair and placed it in the pile that my clothes now lay.

With a deep breath, I stepped forward into the water. The heat was welcoming and soothed my aching joints. I looked at Mira. The white haired beauty was frozen, staring at me with what could only be horror in her crystal eyes. A glance at Erza confirmed the shock at seeing my body covered in bruises beginning to yellow. Wisely, the two woman didn't question me and instantly I felt my affection for the two S Class wizards grow. They weren't going to push me to explain my wounds. I saw the questions burning from their eyes but their focus left me and turned back to Gilligan. "We won't bite!" I told her with a warm smile, leaning against one of the rock walls built into the pool.

The poor girl's hands shook as she undid her clothes. Respectfully, I turned away from her. The eldest Strauss took the garments from her and flitted into a different room to start them in the wash. It wasn't until I heard the muffled splash of water that I turned back around. I had to bite my cheek to keep from gasping at the street rat. Her body was covered in grime and every line of her skin was caked in layers of dirt but that wasn't what took me aback. Gilligan was beyond what I'd call skinny. She was a walking skeleton. Her shoulder bones jutted painfully against her skin. I could count every rib in her body, down to where her hip bones protruded. Her physique had yet to flower but it was no wonder why as her nutrition levels were nonexistent.

Gilly bowed her head, her greasy hair falling in front of her face. I could tell Erza, and the now returned Mira, were also appalled by her condition. The takeover mage chewed on her bottom lip as she joined us, offering a hard loofah and a bottle of soap to the girl. With shame on her features, she accepted the objected offered.

Determined to make light of this situation I did something I hoped I wouldn't regret. I swung my arm out of the pool for my keys, lying just at the waters edge and gripped my eldest key. "Open! Gate of the water bearer! Aquarius!" I repeated the mantra I've uttered thousands of times and the feisty maiden appeared in the pool with us, rage filling her eyes.

"I was on a date!" she screeched, and unleashed a torrent of water straight into my face, causing me to fall under the current. I came up for air, sputtering. Aquarius was waiting for me with another gush of water.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" I gasped. The pink haired zodiac appeared, clad in a very revealing black bikini.

"Punish me, Princess!" she pleaded, head down.

My cheeks burned scarlet. "No! I will not punish you!" I dodged another of Aquarius' spouts. "Virgo! Aquarius!" The two celestial spirits looked at me quizzically, though the water bearer's eyes bored angrily into my core. "This is Gilly," I gestured to the girl and for the first time my zodiacs seemed to realize we weren't alone. Erza Scarlett watched us with an amused grin and a cocked brow. Mirajane' eyes were squinted, trying to hold in her laughter-no doubt directed at me. And for the first time, a true smile burned from the street rat. Gilligan's teeth were shockingly white compared to the state of the rest of her. Her purple eyes were filled with wonder as she stared at Virgo and Aquarius.

"Pleased to meet you," Virgo bowed her head, her pink hair dripping into the water. Aquarius simply snarled in greeting.

"Golden keys... Signs of the zodiac," Gilly murmured. I flooded with pride. With a quick shake of her head, Gilligan's face returned to angst and her hard exterior built up around her again. "Yeah, whatever." Teenagers.

"Why... you brat!" hissed Aquarius and with a rather dramatic flourish, doused the street rat in a torrent of water. Dark hair plastered itself against Gilly's porcelain skin. The girl sputtered incoherently, pushing her drenched locks away from her eyes. She glared at the water spirit with what I could only describe as the type of embarrassed-fury only a teenager could possess. Mirajane giggled, politely covering her lips with long, elegant fingers. I sighed with relief, I'd managed to break the ice around the child.

With a huff, Gilligan flopped in the water, arms crossed around her chest. She grunted as way of communication as she took the loofah and soap. Virgo helpfully assisted the girl with scrubbing her back in the places she couldn't reach.

"Thank you, Aquarius," I whispered as I closed her gate. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head as she faded back into the celestial world to continue her date with Scorpio.

Erza hummed contentedly as she twisted her sopping hair between her fingers. "What's going on in your mind, Gilly?" she inquired.

The girl chewed on her lip as she contemplated her answer. "I... I don't know why you're being so nice to me," she finally replied.

"Why would we treat you badly?" the eldest Strauss sister questioned with a frown creased between her brows.

"It's just... Well, you see. I haven't had a whole bunch of luck with mages."

I wanted to ask Gilly to explain but decided against it. "Gilly," I started with sympathy plagued in my tone, "Fairy Tail is the greatest guild in all of Fiore. And it is not just because of our strength. We're a family. This is my Nakama." I smiled warmly as the girl focused on my chocolate eyes. "I know that many guilds out there are wary of outsiders but..." I trailed off, remembering the first time I'd seen Natsu's flame of pink hair. He grabbed my hand and pulled me off with him, to introduce me to my true family. A warm bubble formed inside my stomach. "Fairy Tail believes in giving everyone a chance," I finished lamely.

Erza took over, "But don't think that means you can take advantage of us. We don't take well to those who'd place Fairy Tail in their line of fire," the Titania's voice was hard and threatening.

"That's true," Mirajane concurred. "But if your intentions are well then you can consider us a friend!" Her crystal eyes sparkled. "Juvia and Gajeel both began as our enemies. Now they're some of our best and strongest members. Sting and Rogue of Sabretooth were against us as well when we first met. And now our guilds are the greatest of allies."

"It's just... I've heard a lot of Fairy Tail," Gilly murmured. "You guys leave havoc in your wake. Salamander destroys a different building every week. I never thought your guild would be so kind with all the horror stories about you."

My cheeks tinged pink. "We have our own methods. But the chaos is nothing compared to all the good we've done!" I reassured the young girl who watched me skeptically.

"Whatever you say," she grunted.

By the time Gilligan was bathed from head to foot, Mira had her clothes retrieved, warm and smelling of lilies. She melded into the clean cushion of her jacket and fondly caressed the material against her cheek, rubbed raw and pink from the vigorous scrubbing.

I felt Erza's eyes on me as I pulled my arm warmers back up to my elbows and tied my scarf into my pixie hair. I chewed nervously on my lip under her scrutiny. Mirajane glanced at us with a frown before steering Gilly out of the bath house and back to the bar. "I'm not ready to talk," I said defensively, guarding my scars.

The requip mage pursed her lips together, disapproval permeating from her brown irises. Her brow knotted as a frown graced her features but Erza didn't push me for information. With a sigh, she turned and left me alone in the bath house.

I slumped down against an oak bench, trembling. My eyes began to moisten and I willed the tears away. I could feel my attacker's fingers on me, ghostly whispers that left burning tendrils with every touch. Lucy Heartfilia, spoiled little heiress. Maybe that was who I was destined to be. The weak child that ran away from her lavish life; she didn't understand real hardship. That's why she let herself get attacked. Lucy of Fairy Tail was a great celestial mage. She was talented and strong-willed: skilled with a whip and lithe on her feet for good hand-to-hand combat. That girl, that wizard, would never have been touched by such a vile creature.

I let these toxic thoughts swirl around my head until I felt numb. Somehow, I found the strength to push myself off the floor-scraping my shoulder on the oak as I did so-and trudged down the hall back towards the bar. At the door I stopped dragging my feet. I lifted my head and straightened my shoulders. I plastered a smile on my face that didn't reach my eyes. This facade would have to do. Buzz of conversation flitted into my ears as I stalked back into the bar.

Mirajane was chatting merrily with her siblings, her hands gesturing wildly behind the counter. Elfman grunted along with her words, throwing in about how manly whatever they were talking about was important.

The guild hall was distinctively fuller than it had been when we'd ventured to Fairy Hills. I felt my heart leap into my throat. Miserably, I tried reminding myself that these were my friends-my family. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw, counting in my head, trying to calm my anxiety.

A large, rough hand gently pressed against my shoulder and without opening my eyes I knew that Natsu Dragneel was at my side. I breathed in his aroma and let my lashes flutter open. His big, dorky smile greeted my vision. "There ya are, Luce," he spoke as if I'd been gone for years. I felt my heart beat faster again only now for a reason much different than anxiety. My cheeks tinged pink, the same color as his mop of hair, and I let out a soft giggle.

"Natsu," I breathed my relief and allowed the dragon to become my rock.

He steered me to our usual table and plopped me in a seat beside the fresh Gilligan. Gilly was fixated at the wood on the table, her features hidden. The icemake mage of our team, Gray, was sitting across from her, trying to ease the girl out of her shell. Beside him, the water witch, Juvia, was staring daggers into poor Gilligan's skull. "Gray-sama belongs to Juvia!" she shrieked, her composure finally broken. Her outburst caused everyone at the table to jump, startled. Erza opened her mouth to scald the mage but Gray spoke first.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, took a large breath into his lungs and hissed at Juvia in a low whisper that the entire table could hear anyway, "Juvia you're being ridiculous. This is a child!" He ground his teeth together. "I really wish you would give me more credit! I'm not the type of man who would cheat! I love you!" his last sentence was lower, pleading.

A bizarre mixture of shame and happiness filled Juvia's deep blue eyes. "Juvia will never tire of hearing that," she gushed. Frost slowly circled Gray Fullbuster's knuckles, his brow twitched in annoyance.

Natsu cackled obnoxiously at his friend, jeering, "Mavis, ice princess, you are whipped!"

"You're one to talk, flame brain!" The black haired mage snapped back at the dragon.

"What exactly does that mean, frost queen?" The two mages launched insults back and forth, both now on their feet and in each other's faces.

"You're so stupid, fire head," Gray snarled and began to gesture at me. "You don't even see what's sitting right there in front of you! Mavis, Natsu, you'd do anything for Lucy and you say that I'm whipped?!"

My cheeks burned at the same intensity of the fire now coiled in the dragon slayer's fist. "Lucy is my best friend! She's my family!"

"You are so oblivious and stupid!" Gray slammed his fist onto the table, stalagmites of ice shooting up around his skin on the oak. Gilligan inhaled sharply and jumped back, her purple eyes wide with fear. "How can you be _this _dense?" He continued on, ignoring the street rat beginning to tremble.

Natsu paid her no heed as well. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

It was in that moment that both Erza and I had listened enough. Almost as if we were in sync, we lifted from our places on the benches and as one slammed our fists onto the hard wood. "Enough!" we screeched in unison. Rage burned in Erza's foresty eyes as she stated the two mages down; annoyance and embarrassment graced my chocolate ones. "You're terrifying Gilligan," Erza spoke, low and deadly. With her tone both Natsu and Gray instantly dropped their fighting stances and bowed their heads. "You're both idiots. Now sit down and be _quiet!" _ Erza commanded attention in a way that only a warrior could. Her grace and beauty were matched by none but the Titania had far more than feminine wiles on her side. She was a fierce fighter, skilled with many weapons and lithe on her feet even in plate. She could control an entire room with just a glance. I'd always slightly envied my friend and her ability to stop everyone around her.

I shot her a thankful smile as I sunk back into my seat. Natsu flopped beside me with a huff and muttered, "Can you believe that stupid ice princess?" I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore the dragon.

Gilligan's shoulders relaxed and she placed her elbows on top of the table with a sigh. Loudly, the hoodlum's stomach rumbled.

"Mira will have your food out soon," I reassured her.

Just as I had thought, moments after I spoke the barmaid appeared carrying a tray, over flowing with different fares. With a smile she set the platter on the table and delicately wiped sweat from her brow with her shoulder. "I've whipped up a few different things. You seemed starved half to death so I know you must be hungry."

The look in Gilly's lavender eyes was ravenous; I couldn't help but to chuckle as I'd seen that very expression numerous times on Natsu Dragneel. The takeover mage began to unload the dishes, setting a piping hot pile of spicy chicken legs in front of my best friend. A mound of nachos was placed in front of the Redfoxes; Gajeel began to chew on the pronged tip of a fork as his wife dainty grabbed a chip. Yet another piece of strawberry cake was handed to Erza Scarlett and I felt rather jealous that the requip mage could continuously eat sweets without gaining an inch to her waist. Gray blushed furiously as Mirajane sat a sundae made for two in front of him and Juvia Loxar. With a knowing glance, the barkeep positioned a beautiful china bowl in the space before me. Inside was a heap of yogurt—my absolute favorite!—garnished with peaches, granola, and honey. I took a moment to close my eyes and let the aroma of the fruit enter my nostrils, sending a shiver down my spine.

Mira unloaded the last five plates in a semicircle around Gilligan. A roasted ham had steam coiling from its flesh, embellished with warm apple slices. Tacos looked as if they had come straight out of a photograph: every slice of lettuce in place, extravagant little piles of sour cream and guacamole sculpted into tiny spirals. A giant bowl of baked macaroni and cheese, still bubbling in gooey deliciousness. Three different sliders, grilled chicken with bacon and ranch, buffalo burger with bleu cheese and a spicy cream paste, and pulled barbeque drenched in a smoky sweet sauce. The final plate was a sampler of desserts; cheesecakes, brownies, toffees, and raspberry scones from just taking one glance.

Gilly's bottom lip quivered. She bit down to make it stop but her eyes were ringed with moisture. With a shaky breath she whispered, "Thank you, Mira." The takeover mage beamed at the homeless girl and waved her hand in dismissal of her appreciation. With a quick nod she excused herself to the backroom, behind the bar. No doubt she had gone back there to hide as she let out a few tears herself.

Clearly, Gilligan had not been raised as an heiress to anything. The girl practically dove her face into the plates, shoving mouthfuls of food into her mouth. Natsu, not to be outdone was swallowing his hot wings whole. I sighed and shook my head at the two, daintily spooning yogurt onto a scone that I'd nabbed from the dessert platter.

It didn't take long for Gilly to warm up to our group. Within minutes she was laughing as Levi recalled a joke she'd read earlier in the day. I didn't fail to notice Natsu sitting close enough to me that his leg brushed against my thigh. I took solace in his warmth and joined in with the merriment.

"LUSSSHHHHYYYY~" was the only warning I received as the Exceed, Happy slammed into my chest. His nose was running, his eyes were watering, and he clung onto me as if I would float away at any moment. I heard a disapproving tut from Carla and a faint giggle from Wendy in between Happy's sobs. I ran my fingers through his azure hair, stroking him softly with my nails. He hiccupped as he looked at me, "I've missed you. Are you feeling better yet?"

I smiled down at the cat and wrapped my arms around his tiny frame in a tight hug. I nuzzled my nose against his scalp as I replied in a whisper, "Yes. I'm starting to feel much better."

"Good!" Happy beamed, his eyes finally dry enough to take in his surroundings. "Nee~ Natsu!" he quipped in acknowledgement to the dragon slayer. "Eh? Who is this?" He looked curiously at Gilligan who had gone back to being bashful with the new intruders.

"About time you realized someone else was here," Carla scowled.

"This is Gilligan—Gilly," I told the trio, ignoring the white haired Exceed. "Gilly, this is Wendy. She's the sky dragon slayer," the blue haired teen bowed her head in greeting. "And these are Happy," I patted the Exceed in my lap, "and Carla," I gestured to the female.

"Pleasure to meet you," Carla said honestly, sticking out a tiny paw with pink pads. Gilligan gently shook it.

"Hi!" Happy piped up. "If Lucy likes you then I know you're good!"

It was hard to stay shy around the extrovert Exceed with his giant smiles and silly quips. Gilligan soon fell into his charm. We explained to Wendy that Natsu and I had ran into the girl while taking a walk in the park and that we'd brought her back to Fairy Tail. All in all the guild as a whole accepted our explanation of the park without question, to my greatest of reliefs.

Time dwindled away. As the sky turned dark, Makarov made another appearance. He offered Gilligan a room in Fairy Hills for a couple weeks to help her get onto her feet to which she hastily accepted and gushed her thanks for several minutes.

As the day's adventures began to close, my eyes started to feel heavier. It had been a long and taxing afternoon for me emotionally and all the adrenaline was finally deciding to leave my body. Natsu watched as my eyes reddened with exhaustion. He placed his hand on the small of my back and helped me up. "It's getting late. I'm gonna take Luce home. We'll catch you all tomorrow."

"Have fun!" snickered an intoxicated Cana. Her father guffawed and winked exaggeratedly at the pink haired wizard. He stiffened beside me but kept moving, opening the door so that I could step through first.

The air outside was frigid, temperatures having fell as the sun left the sky. My breath puffed in front of me in long tendrils. Even with my arm warmers the chill stabbed into me and within a few yards I was trembling. I felt something heavy and warm drop onto my shoulders. It smelled heavenly, of campfire smoke and cinnamon and I didn't need to look beside me to know that Natsu had lent me his most treasured possession—his scarf. My cheeks tinged pink as I inhaled his scent deeply. From the corner of my eye I noticed him smile, slightly.

I was a little surprised that our walk was silent. Normally Natsu would find something to talk with me about. But when I looked over at the dragon slayer his onyx eyes were fixated in the distance, his mind lost in thought. A crease settled in the corners of his lips that was always nearby when the man was deeply concentrating. I considered speaking up, of making small talk but decided against it. I wrapped his scarf tighter around my shoulders, burying my nose into the fabric.

I let my mind wander. I escaped from memories of my assault and absorbed into the smell of Natsu Dragneel. I closed my eyes as we walked, knowing that my best friend would steer me in the right direction.

At the door to my apartment, Natsu slipped his fingers into my pocket and withdrew the key. At that tiny gesture a fire ignited in the core of my belly that terrified me. Natsu must have smelled my nerves because he said quickly, "Sorry Luce, you just look so warm I didn't want to unwrap you."

I sighed inwardly as we stepped into the threshold. It wasn't his touch that scared me. It was what his touch had caused to flash in my mind that did especially after what had happened in the alley. Pictures of pink hair at my waist, a searing of flesh against my hipbone. The way my core heated as his fingers slipped into my pocket was unexpected. It took a moment for my heartbeat to settle and despite the chill in the air there was a sheen of sweat on my brow.

"Are you okay, Luce?" he asked, watching me with concern etched into those deep, dark eyes.

My breath hitched, I blinked and shook my head. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." Natsu's gaze followed me as I unwrapped his scarf from my body and gingerly placed it back around his neck. "Thanks for letting me borrow this."

"Always," he whispered huskily; I saw a fire burning in his eyes. I couldn't hold his gaze. I turned my head as my cheeks flared pink. Faintly, I remembered the pain and the fear of being violated. I hated myself for being scared of my best friend. Natsu was the most innocent person I knew, if his voice wasn't so deep I'd question whether or not he'd been through puberty. He would not hurt me. I repeated the mantra in my head, _Natsu, Natsu, Natsu, Natsu, _until his name no longer sounded real—just a jumble of syllables. "Lucy," his voice was strained. It caught me off guard, I looked at him apprehensively. His fists were balled at his sides and I saw the anger burning inside him. "I'll kill him," the sentence barely hit an octave I could hear. The dragon stepped towards me and I gasped at the water in his eyes. "For laying one dirty finger on you." Natsu shook with rage. "I… I should have been there to protect you!" A silent tear slid down his cheek and he hung his head, dejected.

I closed the space between us and wrapped his bulky body in my slender arms, burying my face into his chest. The pure smell of Natsu assaulted my senses. Cinnamon, campfire, and fresh soil made up Natsu's unique musk. His body was always so warm where mine was always cold. "I don't blame you," I whispered into his pectorals. As muffled as I was I knew he could hear me. "Remember what you told me in the park." His arms slid around me, clutching me against him. He lowered his head into my short crop of hair and breathed deeply. We stood like that for what felt like a long time. It might have been seconds, maybe minutes, or even hours. Time stood still. I was the one to pull away first, I grinned weakly up at him. "I'm tired."

He nodded and unfolded me from his arms. I excused myself for a few minutes to get ready for bed. I stared into the mirror long after I'd washed my face. The bruises on my arms were beginning to turn a sickly yellow, my legs still had deep purple marks. I'd chose pink silk shorts and a white tank top to sleep in. I followed the faint trail of bruises on my cleavage to a savage thumb print on my abdomen that was almost completely faded away. I turned my attention to my keys. The gold winked at me from where I'd laid them on the counter, always within my reach. Now, anyway. "Goodnight guys," I whispered to them as I clutched the ring in my fist and took security in knowing my Zodiacs were just a key turn away.

"You alright in there, Luce?" Natsu called from behind the door.

I took one more look in the mirror and smiled at myself: my messy hair, the bags under my eyes, my lips slightly chapped. Toothpaste was faintly dried on the corner of my mouth, I licked it off unceremoniously. Natsu was the only person I was comfortable enough with to see me like this. Vulnerable. "Yeah, coming." I swung the door open and flicked the light off. Natsu had used my guest bathroom to get ready himself. He was lying in my bed, arms crossed behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. He'd changed into baggy lounge pants and completely ditched his shirt. His scarf was the only item of clothing on above his waist.

When I emerged he swung his legs off the bed and sprang up. "Oi' sorry. I was just waiting for you to say goodnight. I'll go sleep on the couch."

"Wait, Natsu," I called as he turned, halfway out of the door. "Do you think you?…" I chewed on my lip. This was Natsu, what in Mavis was I doing? "Would you stay in here tonight?" I rushed through the words so fast that I was surprised he'd understood me at all.

"Uh, sure Luce. Just let me grab a pillow and a blanket and I'll crash on the floor."

"No. I mean. You've always slept in my bed before. What's changed?"

His gaze burned into my chest. I felt him drawing lines to all my marks, all the physical damage that monster had caused. His jaw tensed, the muscle flexing as he forced himself to unclench his fists. "A-are _you_ okay with me sleeping with you?"

"Yes," I breathed.

He smiled and swung himself back onto my fluffy bed and buried himself in my pink comforter. "Good. I've missed your bed it's so comfy!" He groaned as he rubbed his face into a pillow.

As I turned off the light, I laughed at him. It all felt so normal. I felt fantastic. I climbed onto the bed beside him and stretched out on my back, staring at the dark ceiling as my eyes adjusted. "Natsu?" I whispered into the blackness.

"Hm?" he asked, and I felt him roll onto his side and prop himself up using an elbow.

"Thank you."

It was his turn to laugh. "You have nothing to thank me for." His fingers found my face and caressed a tendril of blonde out of my eye. "Mavis, Luce. Nothing at all." My heart hurt at his words. Tears began to pool in my eyes once again. The dragon slayer sniffed the air and sighed. "Please don't cry, Lucy," he pleaded. I rubbed vigorously at my sockets.

"Sorry," I choked weakly. I changed the subject, willing to focus completely on my best friend. "Earlier you talked to Erza about love? You said something about dragons having mates or something?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you ever date? Go and try to find your mate?"

"No need. No reason to. When a dragon finds his—or her—mate he _knows._ There's no reason to look for her. She'll find me." I frowned skeptically. "Listen, Luce," Natsu groaned. "I am not as bland and innocent as everyone likes to think I am. I have no reason to flirt or date or have casual _sex_ because I know exactly who I'm waiting for. What, I'm waiting for," he corrected.

My eyes were getting heavier as we conversed. "So you'll just know?"

"Yes."

"Will your mate know as well?"

Natsu shifted again. He laid flat on his side, slipping his arm under my pillow. "Eventually. Hopefully. Only if she's a dragon will she know right away."

I let silence waft over us, listening to the faint sounds coming from the window. The canal's water was running rhythmically. "Have you met her yet?" I heard Natsu open his mouth but close it. He didn't answer me but I respected his choice not to even as a part of my heart cracked. My eyes fluttered closed and I gently cradled my head against Natsu's arm. "Goodnight, Natsu."

"Sweet dreams, Luce," he whispered into my ear.

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**A/N: **Thanks for sticking with me so far! Drop me a review or a comment before you go! I'll get the next chapter up ASAP! Please be patient with me!


	8. Avoided

**A/N: **Motivation comes and goes… Thank you to every single one of my reviewers. I wish I could respond to everyone individually. And thank you everyone who favorites or follows (or both!) this story. It really does keep me striving to continue. I'm sorry my updates are few and far between, but they are coming! I promise!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

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Darkness hung thick in the air, only the faint light from the moon shone weakly though the window. Natsu Dragneel laid flat on his back, his head propped in the palms of his hands. His onyx eyes watched the sky outside, the stars reflected in their abyss. He tried to remember the different constellations that Lucy had taught him. Ones named belonging to her Zodiac spirits, some to silver keys and then the many that they'd never met before. Someday he'd get her all the celestial keys that existed. Dragons were quite good at finding treasure. A heavy sigh escaped his lips causing the blonde beauty beside him to shift easily. He cursed silently in his head and held his breath until she'd stilled once more.

The dragon slayer squeezed his eyes shut. He took long, even breaths as he attempted to calm the fire raging inside his chest. He wanted nothing more than to leap up, fists clenched, and tear apart all of Magnolia searching for the scumbag who'd dared to touch Lucy in such a fashion-against her will on top of everything. Hearing her confess everything in her own words had been difficult to handle. He would not leave her side. Not tonight. Not ever, if he were being truthful with himself.

It was easy to be the clown of the group, to hide the extent of his emotions behind a goofy smile. But knowing what happened to Lucy made being oblivious lack its appeal. The years had melded into one another since the salamander had first locked eyes with the blonde summoner. He'd been drawn to her. It had taken him several years to really understand why.

The year he and Happy left to grow stronger had strained the dragon slayer. He'd often found himself thinking of Lucy, dreaming of seeing her deep chocolaty eyes, imagining pulling her once again into a hug. Maybe that was why he'd made such an entrance into the Grand Magic Games. He'd come back to her first. His heart wouldn't let him stay away from the mage. The following couple years were difficult. Drama was a friend to Fairy Tail, always had been and continued to be after they had rebuilt. Then, without much warning, everything settled down. The guild had not been without a truly major and intense conflict since Zeref. Lucy had grown into a woman. She'd begun to date. Patiently, Natsu waited. Now, he cursed himself.

In the end, he was a coward. A weakling to his emotions. The fear of rejection—losing his mate—kept him from ever saying a word. As far as the dragon slayer was concerned standing at his best friend's right hand was better than risking losing her by confessing the sentiments that plagued him. He flipped over onto his side and gazed out the window, tracing the stars with a finger in the air. The only constellation he was able to find was one of the dippers. However, he wasn't positive if it was the big or the little one. The rest of the stars blended together and the dragon had problems successfully connecting the lines between them. If Lucy was awake she'd help him.

Exasperated at watching the abyssal sky he collapsed onto his other side, the window completely leaving his view. Natsu's eyes had adjusted fairly well to the dark. The silhouette of Lucy Heartfilia slowly rose and fell with each of her breaths. The moon's rays cascaded over her glossy hair creating a halo that perfectly frame her face. Even in her dreams, she was hurting. A scowl contorted her features, her brows knitted together in what Natsu could only assume was fear. Her breathing was no longer even, instead sporadic and shallow.

Natsu felt pained. Lucy was trying so desperately to hide everything she was feeling. The celestial mage hated feeling as if she was a burden to anyone.

He gently brushed his toes against Lucy's smooth leg. Certain that the girl was snoozing deeply beside him he tucked his ankle under hers and gradually bounced her leg over his, enveloping in the touch of his silken skin. She stirred uncomfortably beside him, her face contorted into something resembling distress. "It's me, Luce," Natsu whispered nearly inaudible. The blonde relaxed. Her subconscious latching onto the sound and comfort of his familiar voice. The dragon slayer took solace in knowing that he was able to calm her at least in one way or another.

As his onyx eyes turned to lead he let himself become swathed within the scent of Lucy.

Everything that followed was just a dreamless slumber.

Lucy Heartfilia awoke with the sun streaming through her window and birds chattering loudly outside, preparing their journey away for the winter. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and rubbed, cleaning the remaining sleep from their corners. She let out a contented sigh as she stretched, arching her back toward the ceiling. She flopped back onto the cushion of her bed with an oomph. A loud groan caused her to turn her head to the left and look at her best friend, unconscious beside her. Natsu Dragneel laid sprawled on his back with his mouth agape and heavy breathing coming from the cavity of his chest. Pink hair stuck up in every angle imaginable from his head and a slight bit of drool had dried on the side of his lip.

The celestial mage let out a small chuckle as she watched the dragon slumber.

Natsu found himself beginning to stir as music met his ears. It was faint and beautiful. Almost as if the wind was rising crystal instruments into the heavens. Slowly, he began to gain cognizance and realized the symphony he had heard in his dreams was actually Lucy, laughing warmly beside him. _What a dolt,_ he thought affectionately to himself, _I am completely enamored with her. The things Gray would say to me…_ He began to focus clearly, looking into Lucy's chocolate eyes still heavy with sleep—and frowned. The light that normally shone with her smile was dim, faint enough that he had to struggle to find the slightest of illuminations.

Her dreams the past evening had tormented her all night long. Her cheeks were puffy as if she was on the verge of tears: reliving the nightmare. Though Lucy laughed she didn't quite mean the joy that she normally would.

Natsu propped himself up and extended his hand out to stroke her arm. Lucy flinched away as if his touch had physically burned her. The dragon slayer watched her expression change into fear and then quickly into shame. "Luce."

The blonde shook her head and chewed on her bottom lip; she refused to meet his gaze. "I-I'm going to go take a shower," she mumbled.

Natsu watched helplessly as she lifted from the bed and disappeared behind the bathroom door. He could smell the tears leaving her eyes as he scrutinized the entrance helplessly. Steam wafted from under the door after a few moments. Soon the muffled sound of her sobs was replaced by the splash of water on marble. Reluctantly, the dragon slayer threw his legs off of the mattress. With an exaggerated yawn he stood and stretched. In one swift motion he discarded his shorts from the previous day, tossing them into Lucy's laundry hamper to avoid her celestial wrath for clothing on the floor. A clean pair was produced from the third drawer of Lucy's extravagant dresser. Natsu had claimed that particular tray as his. As the years had passed by, the dragon had snuck more and more of his possessions into that wooden tomb.

Natsu stalked off to the guest bathroom to brush his teeth and attempt to tame his mop of pink hair—to no avail, as usual. Ten minutes crept by of Natsu fidgeting on the couch, plucking stray blue hairs off the upholstery. Still, the steam slithered from under the bathroom door and the scent of soap played with his senses. His onyx gaze glanced towards the bar at the kitchen, then passed it to the stove. It was only a brief moment of contemplation before the dragon was bustling around in Lucy's refrigerator. He gathered together eggs, milk, and butter and proceeded to place them on the island as he rummaged in the pantry for flour and maple syrup. Natsu had never exactly been a great chef. He had a mastery of fire that he often let slip out of control and burn every morsel of food he attempted at cooking. But he'd be damned if he couldn't make his hurting best friend some fluffy pancakes.

Lucy stumbled out of the bathroom, coughing as smoke assaulted her nostrils. Through the haze, the celestial mage could make out a tangle of pink hair and muscle scrambling through the kitchen, shoving open windows and cussing loudly. She watched, amused, as Natsu threw a smoking pan out the window and into the canal, making a mental note to have that blasted dragon buy her another cast iron skillet. Her laugh caused Natsu to turn and face her, his cheeks tinted pink with shame. He scratched the back of his neck as he offered her the one pancake that survived the turmoil.

Hard as a rock and black, the pancake was effectively a disk of charcoal.

At least the timbre of Lucy's giggle made Natsu smile. "So, Luce… How about I buy you breakfast at the café you like?" he offered, throwing the "pancake" into the canal with the rest of the failed creations.

"Sure," she replied. "This place needs to air out anyway. Must you set my kitchen on fire every time?"

Natsu grimaced.

The autumn air was crisp, summer attempting to hold on futilely. The pair had chosen to sit on the balcony at the café overlooking the sparkling city of Magnolia. In the distance the silhouette of the Fairy Tail Guild sat as its ambient protector, stationed solicitously near its heart. Natsu watched Lucy's large brown eyes wander to the building: their family.

The waitress interrupted whatever Natsu was going to say. "What can I get for you guys?" she asked, silencing the spell that had the two mages captivated. Their server was a plump, middle-aged woman with electrifying orange hair that frizzed around her heart shaped face. Her eyes were kind and a vibrant cyan.

"Hot chocolate to start for me, please," Lucy requested, tugging at her arm warmers.

"Coffee. Black. As hot as you can make it," Natsu murmured, skimming over the menu.

The woman smiled and gave a curt bow, "Coming right up Fairy Tail wizards."

The service they received was phenomenal. Their server, Sapphire, refilled their glasses consistently and made sure their needs were met. Halfway through their meal she explained to them that a Fairy Tail team had saved her son two years prior. The Thunder God Tribe had been on a mission a couple cities over, ridding a forest of a guild of thieves that her son, a merchant, had gotten mixed up with. Sapphire had nothing but genuine appreciation for Fairy Tail for assisting her son find his feet again. Two mugs of cocoa and three mugs of coffee later, their bellies were satisfied. Lucy had enjoyed peach and cream crepes, so fine that they nearly melted on her tongue. Natsu had inhaled a heaping order of huevos rancheros, saturated in the spiciest hot sauce the café could find.

With a smile the pink haired dragon slayer pulled a moderately sized bag of jewels from his pocket and placed it into the kind hands of their waitress. "How would you like your change?"

"Keep it," Natsu told her, turning. Sapphire blanched visibly and scrambled to escort the two from the balcony and onto the cobblestone below.

"T-thank you," she gasped. Her only response was one of Natsu's thousand watt smiles and a wave from Lucy.

"Do you even know how much jewels you just gave her?" the celestial mage asked once she was sure they were out of earshot. "That had to have been enough to pay for at least half a month's rent."

Natsu shrugged. "Yeah, she was nice."

Lucy stared dumbly at her best friend's back as he playfully swung his hips as he walked away from her. Dragons were known for hoarding treasure and come to think of it, she'd never really seen Natsu go out and spend his earnings from their quests.

She let her imagination warp her away as they walked towards their guild. She remembered her mother reading her a fairytale when she was very little about a princess locked in a tower guarded by a dragon.

_Little Lucy's hair was done up in bubbly, pink ribbon. She wore a pink sundress and clutched madly at the doll in her arms. Tears streamed mercilessly down her face, leaking from her large brown eyes. Layla Heartfilia dropped the book she'd been reading in shock to the grass underneath them. She scooped her daughter into her arms, "Darling girl, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Lucy shook her head intensely, the ribbons striking about like snakes at her ears._

"_No, mommy… Why did he kill the dragon? I didn't want the dragon to die. I hate that stupid p-prince!" she wailed, clutching against her mother's bosom._

"_Oh Darling," Layla murmured, looking towards the cloudless sky. "You know what?" she pried the little fingers from her dress and placed her hands kindly on Lucy's shoulders, steering her to look into her mother's face. "I think I read it wrong! In fact, dear Lucy, I know I did. My mind wasn't in it, I'm sorry. Would it be okay if I read it again?"_

_Lucy looked at her mother skeptically but nodded all the same, her tears becoming silent as she settled back into the grass and nuzzled her face into her doll._

Lucy's face beamed at the memory, she smiled up at the sky thanking her mother. Layla had stationed herself against the bark of the tree and weaved an entirely new story for her. One with a valiant dragon and a brave princess who fell in love and ran away from the kingdom together. Tied up perfectly with the clichéd happily ever after that made her little heart swell with excitement. After Layla had swept her up for a bath and the memory settled into the crevices of her mind.

"Yo, Luce? Where's your head right now?" Natsu waved a hand in front of her vision, successfully bringing her back to reality.

"Just… Remembering my mom."

"Oh," Natsu murmured, looking sheepish for interrupting. Lucy laughed and lightheartedly pushed him to the side. The dragon slayer grimaced and pretended to trip wildly, stumbling from one end of the street to the other.

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the guild.

"Natsu! Lucy!" A blur of blue flew towards them, colliding against them and attempting to wrap his tiny arms around them both. Happy excitedly reached into his knapsack and pulled out a rather pungent dead fish. It had obviously spent the last couple hours marinating in his bag, turning a sickly grey-green. It took Lucy all she had to not shriek and punch the carcass away. "Carla, Wendy, Romeo, and I all went fishing this morning! I saved you guys a fish!"

"Thanks, Happy!" Natsu said exuberantly, fearlessly taking the fish from his grasp. "I'll just go give this to Mira to cook later."

Lucy watched Natsu meander to the bar and secretly hoped he'd be asking the takeover mage to dispose properly of the rotten fish. The blue-haired Exceed busied himself by flying back over to his corner with Pantherlily and Carla, resuming whatever conversation had been interrupted.

"Hey! Lu-chan!" Levy Redfox's voice called out to the celestial mage. "Over here, come join us!" She gestured eagerly to the open chair beside her. Lucy gratefully accepted the offer.

At the wooden table, Levy had sprawled several large and ancient scrolls to decipher. Juvia occupied the tiny corner of the table that wasn't covered in parchment with a bowl of chowder, forgotten as her eyes were fixated across the room at Gray Fullbuster. The ice-make wizard was standing next to the street rat, Gilly. He was trying to teach her how to play Billards, helping her grip the cue and pull it back. The teenager was focused, purple eyes drilling holes into the white ball. She jerked the pool cue forward, jamming it heavily into the green felt. Lucy winced, feeling the girl's teeth chatter from impact. Gray shook his head and murmured something to her, then realigned her shot. This time, she managed to hit the ball with a satisfying click as the blue chalk left a mark on its smooth surface.

Lucy lifted her eyebrows at Juvia, smirking. "My, Gray sure is good with kids, don't you think, Levy?" she questioned loudly, her focus never leaving the water woman. "He'll make an excellent father one day."

The celestial mage practically heard Juvia's heart explode. Her cheeks erupted into crimson as she instantly pulled her gaze away from Gray, trying and failing to pretend as if she hadn't noticed the two across the room. "Juvia thinks Gray-sama excels at everything," she muttered to her soup. "How is married life, Levy? Juvia would like to know."

The petite girl looked up from her scrolls, hitting back to reality hard. "Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you say Juvia?"

"How is marriage?" she repeated, looking shamefully down at her hands, fidgeting nervously.

Levy beamed and brushed a strand of azure out of her eyes. "It's fantastic, Juvia. I wish I had better words to explain it," she sighed dreamily. "I guess it's a lot like when we were dating but… It's just a lot more permanent. Every night, Gajeel is the last face I see before I go to sleep. He's the first face I see when I wake up. My name is Redfox so everyone knows that we belong together. He's mine. I'm his. We can discuss any—and everything together without fear of judgement or disdain from the other. We can share everything." Her cheeks reddened, "I don't know how to explain it, Juvia. Lucy is a lot better at creative writing than I am."

"You were doing just fine, shrimp. If not slightly embarrassingly," a gruff voice from behind their table grunted. Gajeel and Laxus at some point had entered the hall, carrying large brown crates and placing them on the bar. Mira began to unload potatoes from the boxes as Levy squeaked and blushed at the arrival of her husband. In a rare display of affection, the iron dragon bent down and swept his lips possessively over Levy's.

"Juvia wishes to be married," the blue haired siren whispered sadly.

"I give up on men," Lucy commented, leaning her head onto Juvia's shoulder. "They suck," she finished, lamely.

"More failed dates?" Juvia questioned.

"Something like that," Lucy muttered, her heart beginning to flutter in her chest. She felt a pang between her legs and silently prayed that Natsu would come back from the back of the bar. Her palms became slick with sweat.

As if signaled, the dragon slayer rumbled back up the steps from behind the bar, carrying two more crates of potatoes. "Alright, sis. This should be all of them," Lisanna huffed from behind him, dropping her crate onto the counter.

"Wonderful!" Mirajane Strauss called, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Okie then! Gilly, enough play time with Gray. It's time to get you to work!" The teenager turned away from the solid seven ball with a pained expression. Gray began to set the pool table back up, fresh for whoever was to play next.

"Work?" Lucy questioned no one in particular.

"Master has decided to give Gilligan odd jobs throughout the guild to help her get on her feet until she can sustain herself. He didn't feel comfortable tossing a child back onto the street. He threatened to call her foster parents, the government, anything. None of it fazed that girl. So instead he offered her residence at Fairy Hills… for a price. I think he wants to teach her discipline. Fix her before she becomes another statistic." Erza spoke from behind the celestial mage, causing her to jump in surprise. Adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"When'd you get here?" she hissed, clutching at her chest.

"Approximately seventy-six seconds ago." The Titania threw her plated leg over the bench and sat beside Lucy. She waved Mira down for a piece of strawberry cake, as usual.

"Mavis, think you could announce yourself next time or something?" Lucy muttered.

"Apologies that not everyone in this guild has a habit of shouting the moment they walk through the door, like some fire breathing dragon slayers we know." She smirked at Natsu who'd joined them halfway through the conversation. He made a face at Erza when she wasn't looking and sat down across from Lucy. Subtly and protectively he reached his foot across the table and wrapped his ankle around Lucy's reassuring her that he was there. The mage felt her heart begin to calm.

The rest of the afternoon passed by as if nothing had changed. Gajeel pulled out his guitar, Natsu and Gray simultaneously set the instrument ablaze and froze it into a cube. The two proceeded to get chased all over the hall by the iron dragon and his metal fist before Erza had stood up and slammed her hands on the table, effectively ending all bereavements of the guitar. Gray and Natsu both sat in the corner, repairing the instrument and spitting insults at each other back and forth. Wendy spoke excitedly with Laxus about how her training was going and demonstrated a sustained and rather intense wind storm that drained barely any of her mana. "You're getting better at controlling your magic levels," the thunder mage said, giving her a high five. Lucy straightened her head scarf and combed the knots out of her hair with her fingers after the gust had died down. She opened Plue's gate and the little Dog Star and Happy danced around the tables, munching on bonbons. The solid script mage concentrated on her texts, marking a few simple notes as she went.

Everything would have been fine. Everything would have been normal. Except for the constant at Lucy's core and the hateful voice in her head, telling her how unworthy of any of these people she was. _Dirty. Slut. You deserved it. You asked for it. All your fault. No one will ever love you now._

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**A/N: **Please, take a moment to review before you go! And if you really enjoyed it, click that follow/favorite button! Please? I'll try to get the next chapter out soon™. Thanks so much for reading!

-GH057


	9. Sparring

**A/N: **Look! I uploaded another chapter and it didn't take months! Your reviews, follows, and favorites pushed me to continue writing. Please keep them coming!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail. I do, however, own the character of Gilligan.

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The hours melded into days which turned into weeks. Two weeks slipped by since Natsu and I had brought Gilligan to the guild. Autumn began to overtake Magnolia. Even with the sun high in the sky, the chill settled in the streets. Jackets were brought out of closets and fires began to ignite in the more frigid evenings. My bruises had healed, leaving in their wake pristine and porcelain skin. The scuffs on my elbows and knees had almost completely closed, a few last scabs clinging on. Physically, I was doing much better. Mentally, I was struggling. The night terrors had not let up and even around Natsu there were times where I wanted to run. If he moved too sudden, came up from behind too fast, I'd flinch, jump, and cower. It pained me most to see the hurt in his deep, onyx eyes every time I reacted negatively to him. My dragon never left my side. He was true to his word, as I knew he always was. In the black of night, he held me as I sobbed, running warm fingers through my hair. During the daylight, we'd laugh and joke as if nothing had ever happened. Though, every couple of days I'd sink into myself. I'd catch a glimpse of Fried's hair before I saw his face and I'd fall into the abyss of that night. Laxus must have sensed something wrong because he requested that Freed begin to wear his hair up, in messy pony tail. The lightning dragon slayer said that it accented his features well, made his sculpted jawline standout. But the blonde had looked at me and offered a smile, before assisting in styling the lime locks. Some days, I'd have a pure flash back and black out, waking soaked in sweat and shaking like a leaf in Natsu's arms.

I'd tried to build my courage up. I wanted to tell the rest of my friends what I'd been through. But that little voice stopped me every single time. The fear of losing my family hurt worse than bottling my emotions. Besides, with Natsu at my side I could conquer anything. My team could tell something was off but out of respect, they didn't pry for information.

Gilligan was warming up to the guild. I caught her once using the word nakama which turned her bright red as she swore up and down she'd actually said "no, yo mama." I'd given her a knowing smile and clapped her on the back. Slowly, she was gaining weight. Her face didn't seem so gaunt, her purple eyes weren't sunken into her skull. Her hair had begun to shine and the texture became smooth. She worked steadily, with as much sass as I expected from a fourteen year old. Mirajane used her Satan Soul magic once when her attitude and blossomed and instantly Gilly was whipped into shape. The moment the eldest Strauss even begins to open her mouth for a request, the child is there. She skirts around her nervously, like a mouse, from time to time. Not that I blame Gilligan. Mira was not only beautiful but her magic was on the verge of being terrifying. She was an S Class for a reason.

I woke with a start, gasping for air as my dream clutched at my throat. Goosebumps rose along my arms and I sighed, pulling my knees up to rest my chin against them. A shock of pink hair twitched beside me. Natsu's eyes opened and his nostrils flared possessively. "Lucy? What's wrong?" he murmured, still coming out of his own sleep.

"I'm fine. Just the dream."

He nodded and sat up, running his hand up and down my back. I let myself melt into his warm touch, forgetting about the nightmares that had plagued my slumber. "It's eight o'clock, I won't be able to go back to sleep." I shifted away from him, swinging my legs over the over and grabbing my large fuzzy robe to wrap up in.

"Neither will I. Want to head to the guild for breakfast this morning?" Natsu asked, stretching and successfully popping what sounded like every joint in his body.

"Sounds good to me. I'll hop in the shower, unless you'd like to go first?"

The dragon slayer smirked at me and raised an eyebrow. "No, you go first Luce. You always use all the hot water anyway and I'll have to warm it up either way." I turned before Natsu could see my blush, though I know he knew it was there. Heightened dragon senses. He chuckled as I collected my clothes for the day. I was at the threshold of the door when he stopped me. Natsu's voice was husky and shook ever so slightly, "I... I could get used to this, Luce," he murmured almost so quietly that I didn't know whether he intended for me to hear it.

I turned back to him. The sun was streaming in through the window, illuminating his sculpted body. He'd kicked the comforter to the foot of the bed, one leg wrapped in the linens. "Get used to what?"

"Living here," he replied earnestly. "With you."

"Is that all?" I laughed and scratched at the back of my neck. "You've practically lived with me for years anyway."

"Would you mind, if we made it official?" His husky voice was back and his eyes were downcast, like he was a scolded puppy.

The question came as a surprise and I tried to ignore my pulse as it increased inside my chest. "You want to live with me? Long term?"

"Y-Yeah," Natsu stammered. "I mean, I'd keep my cottage. Clean it up, rent it out to tourists on vacation. So I'd always have it… Just in case you didn't want to live with me anymore."

I sank to the floor, crossing my legs to get comfortable. My clothes were set to the side, right out of the door ready for my shower. I felt like this conversation wasn't going to be a quick one so I decided to relax. I picked absently at a hangnail as I asked, "Why wouldn't I want you to live with me?"

The dragon slayer was quiet for a few moments, enough so that the buzz of Magnolia snuck in through the window. Outside, children were hurrying off to school. Cart merchants were calling out their wares for the day. The few songbirds left chirped weakly in the chill of the morning. He ran his hand through tufts of pink hair, gripping and tugging slightly. "If you find someone, love someone. You wouldn't want your best friend—a male, no less—hanging around."

I scoffed and my heart strings tugged at his insinuation. Two weeks ago we'd talked into the night about dragons and their love life. I'd been so curious to know if Natsu knew who he was to love—if I was being honest with myself, which I wasn't, I wanted to know if he loved me. If he could love me. Even after being tainted. Truth be told, I didn't even know why I'd attempted dating anyway. I guess because who I really thought of when the future crossed my mind was _Natsu Dragneel_. "That is seriously something you do not need to worry about," I said with an exaggerated eye roll.

The dragon slayer shrugged meekly. "Alright then," he spoke evenly, not wanted to throw my emotions off balance as they teetered dangerously between sadness and anger. "W-would you like for me to move into the guest room? Or can I stay here?"

His voice was so pleading, so hopeful that I couldn't help but to crack a smile. "No, no guest room. That's a _guest_ room. I like you right where you are, besides the heating bill is astronomically low when you sleep with me. You're a walking fire. And before you ask, yes of course Happy can live here too. When he isn't staying with Wendy and Carla, anyway."

Natsu flopped back onto the pillow, grinning wildly at the ceiling. "Thanks, Luce," and he sounded so genuinely happy that my heart ached in my chest.

I excused myself to the bathroom and cranked on the water, letting it warm as I stared at myself in the mirror. _Could he love you? _The woman in the mirror was pretty enough. Her blonde locks stuck out every which way: bedhead. Her brown eyes were reddened from sleep. Her skin was smooth, flawless even without makeup. But even though I knew this was my reflection, I couldn't see the beauty that anyone else claimed to. I saw the pores that raided my nose. I saw lopsided ears. Most of all, I saw my scars. I was tainted, everywhere that monster had touched me, scorned. I had been lucky enough to avoid any sexual diseases transmitted through his vile fluids. Still, I felt like I was damaged.

It took me and Natsu less than an hour to get ready. He tugged his scarf around his neck as I finished smudging makeup under my eyes. Natsu smiled as we headed towards the guild, watching as I balanced along the side of the canal. "Luce?" he pondered after a few moments.

"Hm?" I responded, not lifting my focus away from my feet.

"Come with me." Without waiting for my response, he grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the canal and down an alleyway towards the market beyond. The dragon slayer chuckled as I stumbled against him, clutching me in the crook of his muscular arm. We made it about two blocks before he abruptly stopped and stepped behind me, shielding my eyes and guiding my path.

"What are you doing?" I asked, breathless from laughing.

Natsu was quiet for a moment. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course." There was no hesitation.

I could feel his smile but he remained silent, carefully leading my steps through the crowd. Before long he guided me through a door, a soft chiming bell alerting of our entrance. My nose was assaulted with some of my favorite scents, the unique aroma that only a bookstore can possess. Musty and content, aged paper and pitch black ink. The smell of leather bound stories, waiting to share their tales. The faint odor of wood, half chewed by mites and the remnants of moth balls lost in corners. Natsu kept me wrapped in one arm, his hand still covering my vision. He ignored all my inquiries as he shuffled me around, I felt him pick something up and take me to cash out.

A familiar voice greeted us, "Lucy," the old man who ran the bookstore sounded amused. "Natsu," he sounded impressed that Natsu had set foot inside his shop without burning it to the ground. I felt the dragon use his free arm to gesture something passed my neck, as if he was putting a finger to his lips to keep the surprise. The bookkeeper chuckled. There was a ring of the cash register and the sound of Natsu dropping some jewels on the counter before he steered me out of the shop and back into the street. He sat me down on a bench and I felt him place a large tome on my lap.

"Okay, Luce. Open." He stepped back and I peered up at him. My goofy dragon, a smile plastered on his face, his eyes closed from the force of his expression: his nose scrunched. On my lap was the book I'd been eyeing for the past week, I gasped and ran a hand over the golden lettering. "I've watched you look at every time we've passed by but we haven't gone on any missions so you couldn't afford it… I had some jewels laying around that I wasn't doing anything with so… There ya go!"

My eyes filled with tears. I carefully sat the book beside me and leapt up, latching my arms around his neck. "Thank you!" I sobbed into his chest, nuzzling my face into his smoky warmth.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, burying his nose into my hair. "You're welcome, Luce," he whispered so that only I could hear.

"How sweet," a familiar voice teased in a singsong. We pulled away and turned to see Gilly, carrying two baskets of bread from the bakery down the road, on her way back to the guild. I flushed and looked at my feet but Natsu wasn't fazed, as usual.

"Oy, Gilly! Need some help?"

She handed him the larger of the wicker baskets as I clutched my new book against my chest. And with that, our tender moment was forgotten and all of reality rushed back into my lungs. "You guys are out and about early today," the teenager commented and I could feel her purple eyes piercing into my back.

"Thought we'd get a head start on our day," Natsu replied happily as the guildhall came into view.

Inside, Mira was busy cooking up breakfast and Makarov was waking up with a large mug of coffee. Erza, always chipper to begin the day was already nibbling on a pastry of some sort. "Good morning," she absently told the three of us as we strolled through the doors.

Before long, the main hall was beginning to fill. I never realized how many members of Fairy Tail came in so early to grab breakfast and get first pick of the new missions on the board. I saw Natsu look toward the board longingly, wishing to go on an adventure. I chewed on my lip. I couldn't avoid the world for forever but I simply wasn't ready to go back but I knew my friend was itching for a battle. In that moment, I had an idea. I shoveled one last forkful of eggs into my mouth and then stood on top of our table, nearly kicking over Happy's fish. The Exceed looked up at me with teary eyes and I flashed him an apologetic grin.

"Natsu!" I shouted, causing the entire guild to hush instantaneously. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Gajeel choked on his drink, which looked startlingly like liquid iron. "What was that bunny girl?"

I kept my eyes focused on my best friend, finger pointed at him. He looked at me with a blank expression before he knitted his eyebrows together. "No," he said, firmly and with finality.

"Yes," I argued right back.

Natsu balled his hands into fists. "No, Lucy. I don't want to hurt you. I refuse to hurt you," he hissed through his teeth. I could feel his trepidation.

I sneered. "C'mon dragonboy! Don't tell me you're scared of poor little heiress, Lucy Heartfilia. I'm sure Gray would accept my challenge."

"Keep me out of this," the ice mage grunted, shoving a cinnamon roll into his mouth.

"Juvia will fight you!" his companion quipped. I ignored her.

"Lucy," Natsu growled threateningly. I didn't back down, I straightened my shoulders and puffed my chest out. I uncoiled the whip from my waist and snapped it around the dragon slayer's wrist, knocking his coffee out of his hand. The mug shattered on the floor. Natsu's eyes darkened. "Lucy," he repeated. I jerked my whip so that it slashed across his chest, leaving a faint pink welt. That was enough to get Natsu to stand up and press his forehead against mine. I felt the smoke coming out of his nostrils. "I will not hurt you," he snarled and it sounded almost pleading, begging me to stop. But I didn't. I wouldn't.

I felt the entirety of our family watching us, breaths held, eyes trained. "You think you're better than me. You think I can't hold my own," my voice trembled slightly as that ugly memory snaked into my mind, I pushed my assault away. "You protect me. You put yourself in danger to make sure that I remain unscathed. But I am a Fairy Tail Wizard. I am a member of the best team in the guild. I am the greatest celestial mage in all of Fiore," I said that last sentence with more confidence than I felt. "And I challenge you, dragon slayer, to spar with me." I paused, "Igneel would have encouraged you."

That did it, Natsu looked at me defeated but with a new determination in his eye. "You know I won't let you win," he stated.

"You'd better not."

Makarov cleared his throat loudly, "Please, children, do not do this inside. Out, out! Into the arena. This will be a match I'm sure many of us will like to see. Wendy, please stay close in case someone needs your medical prowess. Erza, you're to referee. If this gets out of hand, stop it." Wendy and Erza looked at each other and nodded, standing. "Fifteen minutes and then you may start." Collectively, the guild let out a whoosh of air that they'd been holding and erupted into chatter. Gildarts and Cana began calling for bets, collecting the hard earned jewels of our fellow members.

Natsu stared at me. "Lucy," he whispered, pained. For once, when I hugged him it was not my pulse that was racing but his. His heart pounded against my ear and I smiled at him.

"Natsu, this will be fun."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." I'm not sure what possessed me to stand on the tips of my toes and kiss his cheek, but I did. I felt my face flourish red and I quickly scampered off to prepare for our duel, Levy leaping from her spot with Gajeel to follow me. I saw the iron dragon slayer lift his pierced brows at Natsu and smirk but I didn't catch any of their conversation.

My bookworm sighed as she adjusted my bandana, pulling blonde tresses from my eyes. "What are you doing, Lucy?" Levy groaned.

"I have no idea," I admitted. "But both of us could use some fun."

The blue haired mage looked at me skeptically. "Natsu really doesn't want to do this… You're a great mage in your own right, Lu. But Natsu is an entirely different level. Mavis, he's a true dragon slayer raised by Igneel all those years ago and sent to fight—"

"I know," I interrupted her. "I don't expect to win. I'm pretty confident that I'll lose. But I want to do this. I want to duel him and have fun. I want Natsu to see that I'm not some damsel he needs to protect."

"Oh, Lu-chan," my friend whispered, pulling me into a hug. Over the years we've mastered silent communication, and with one nod she pulled back, squeezed a bit of sunblock onto my shoulders and we parted ways.

The entire stadium was full. It seemed that all the guild decided to forego missions today to watch me and Natsu brawl. On the highest box, Makarov presided over us, seated with him the S Class mages of Fairy Tail. Wendy sat on the edge of their box, he legs dangling over the edge. She waved encouragingly at me. The Exceeds were with her, Happy chanting for Natsu's victory. Carla looked bored and belittled by the entire process. Pantherlily appeared curious.

Natsu and I walked to the center of the coliseum, faced each other and shook hands. "Last chance to back down," he whispered to me.

"Not a chance."

He sighed at me but I caught the smile hidden in his eyes as he stepped back. Makarov raised his arm, lowered it, and we began. "Fire dragon—" I leaped away from Natsu's first attack using my small stature to my advantage. I snatched a key from my waist and held it high in the air.

"Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!" I called and Loke materialized in front of me, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Oh my, how I've longed to do this," he murmured, his hands began to enflame with the rays of the sun. Everything else was forgotten. The cheers of the crowd were muted and lost. There was nothing besides Natsu and I and our magic. Fleuve d'étoiles sparkled to life, the celestial properties of my whip causing it to glow with the power of the stars.

Natsu's foot crashed into my stomach but my adrenaline was raging; I didn't feel the pain of the blow. Loke cursed loudly, quickly leaping between my body and the dragon slayer, alight in his fire. "Open! Gate of the Bull, Taurus!" I called out another offensive spirit and sent him thrashing his axe towards my best friend. I leaped into the air and lashed at his ankle with my whip. I was so surprised when my attack landed that I almost forgot to pull him off balance. Almost. In a blur of fire and pink hair he fell to the ground and had to roll to avoid a Regulus Impact from my lion. I leeched off a bit more magic power as I opened my third key, "Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" My pink haired spirit appeared before me with a low bow. She quickly vanished into the earth.

I knew I was testing my luck, using only offensive spirits but I knew that defensively I had zero chance of staying in this fight for a long period. My only option was to overwhelm Natsu by attacking and flanking him from all sides—moving constantly. And maybe, just maybe, I'd get in a few blows of my own before this was all over. "Lucy kick!" I screamed as I aimed a blow at his head. Easily the dragon slayer spun and gripped my ankle in his hand. I gulped as he launched me into the sky and sent a jet of flames chasing over me. I was surprised at how _little_ they burned. I questioned if Natsu was pulling his punches but forgot that idea as he sent a kick into my stomach as I was already downed. With his back turned to Taurus, the bull was able to swing and clip his shoulder, causing him to spin around disoriented.

I focused on the training Capricorn had given me in hand to hand combat and snapped my whip at his exposed feet, causing his to wince and throw himself off balance. I threw my elbow into his side and lashed my whip around his neck, straining to keep control as Loke charged him in a flash of golden light.

I released Natsu from my grip as he sunk to the ground, rubbing his neck. When he looked up at me, my stomach dropped. He was smirking. Briefly, I wondered if everyone he faced felt this same creeping dread come over them when Natsu achieved his second wind. "Oh, Luce. Now I'm all fired up!" He clenched his jaw and inhaled. "Fire dragon roar!" he shouted as flames pelted against my skin. I was caught in his inferno. Virgo came from beneath me, pushing me out of his fire. I closed her gate with thanks and opened Scorpio's, knowing I'd get an earful from Aquarius later on.

Our battle continued. I used Scorpio's sand to extinguish his flames before they managed to reach me but Natsu was agile, more agile than I had expected facing him. He soon learned my patterns and turned them against me, strategizing and finding my weak spots. His fist chopped against my knee, causing me to fall in front of him. Loke aimed more light in his direction but he breathed fire into the attack, breaking its course before it could reach him. Taurus was trapped in a vortex of flames that Scorpio was desperately trying to rescue him from. Natsu gripped my face delicately under my chin and lifted my eyes into his, he inhaled the final blow. A fire dragon lotus straight into my face.

I was done. Natsu Dragneel had won.

As soon as it had started, it was over. His fire went away. Loke and Natsu shook hands and clapped each other on the back, laughing before the lion left back into the spirit world. I breathed heavily, clutching my chest as my heart raced and the adrenaline left my body. Wendy glided down to us, inspecting me first for any damages. Natsu looked pained as the sky dragon healed bruises beginning to form along my stomach and legs. I smirked as I noticed his neck was ringed in a faint purple outline, his ankle swollen slightly from where my whip had scorned him. Wendy Marvel easily healed our superficial injuries and bowed out of the arena. Natsu extended his hand and I gladly took it, letting him heave me up onto my feet. We held hands, lacing our fingers together and took an obnoxious, curtain closing bow.

The cheers of our guild began to register. Cana and Gildarts were scurrying through the crowd, collecting the jewels of the poor souls who's actually decided to bet on me. I saw Levy elbow Gajeel as he dropped a few coins into the tarot reader's hand. Gilligan stared at Natsu and me, her mouth hanging agape. She had cheered louder than any of them, her voice hoarse from screaming. "This is Fairy Tail!" she called, throwing her arm into the arm, extending her thumb and her index finger. One by one the rest of us joined her, cheering for our family.

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**A/N: **I know some of you don't like me switching back and forth from first to third person every chapter but I'm already too committed to stop. Sorry! Any other fics I write won't have that mistake. Also, I consider myself to be a "gardener" writer as GRRM would say, so I'm not sure when this story will end. It's done when I'm convinced it's over. That might be in five chapters, ten, twenty. I dunno! Please give me a review before you go, I really appreciate them!

-GH057


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